Another impressive victory followed at Imola, as Dunne carved his way through the order to win his second race of the year.

At the following round, Dunne set a stunning lap to take pole position around the famous streets of Monaco. However, he was penalised for a first-lap collision and handed a 10-place grid penalty for the next race in Barcelona.

Starting in 19th, Dunne capitalised on a late pit stop for fresh tyres to finish second and regain the championship lead he lost in Monaco.

In Dunne’s words, that type of recovery shows the “mental resilience” required to fight for the title – both as a driver and his Rodin Motorsport team.

“That’s something I can be proud of, each time we have had something difficult or go wrong, we have come back and done something pretty special.

“The fact we are able to forget about the little things that have happened and bounce back straight away is a very good quality to have.”

Dunne acknowledges he is in a good place in both his career and the Formula 2 standings, “but it’s important that it’s after 14 rounds and not six”.

“It’s important to stay consistent, not try and do anything crazy, have good qualifying and score good points in the sprint race and the feature.

“If I keep doing what I’m doing, and keep chipping away at it, then hopefully the opportunities will come.”

You can follow Alex Dunne’s first Formula 1 session at the Austrian Grand Prix on the BBC Sport website and app from Friday at 12:30 BST.