Oliver Goethe hoped to build on a promising finish to 2025 after committing to a second full Formula 2 season with MP Motorsport for 2026. Instead, a difficult opening third of the year threatened to shake his composure. Ahead of his breakthrough podium in Spielberg, Feeder Series spoke with Goethe about trusting the process, his work ethic and the lessons learned from title-contending teammate Gabriele Minì.

By August Bamford

There was a little more noise around Oliver Goethe than usual in the F2 paddock at the Red Bull Ring. A large contingent of family and friends had made the short trip from Germany to support the MP Motorsport driver in what felt like something of a home race for him.

The timing could hardly have been better as Goethe looked to build momentum after a difficult start to the season.

Goethe returned to F2 in 2026 with MP Motorsport for a second consecutive full campaign with the aim of building from the foundation set in 2025. Goethe ultimately finished 15th in the drivers’ championship with 37 points last year, held back by scoring points just twice in the first eight rounds of the season.

By the end of the season, however, his form had taken a noticeable upturn. He regularly featured inside the top six in qualifying, most notably at the penultimate round in Qatar, where he claimed his maiden F2 pole position before a three-place grid penalty denied him the chance to start from the front in the feature race. 

“The decision [to stay] was based off of the second half of last year, where we were really, really strong and working well together,” Goethe explained to Feeder Series ahead of the sprint race in Spielberg. “The team have a good car, a good group of engineers and mechanics, so I really trust them and it’s nice that they trust me too.” 

Yet as was the case in 2025, Goethe struggled in the early phase of the 2026 season, with only one points finish across the first five rounds.

“So far, the start of this year hasn’t been going as planned,” Goethe admitted. “[There were] a couple mistakes from my side, a couple moments of bad luck as well. That’s put me on the back foot this year.”

“The quali pace in Montreal and in Barcelona was not good,” he added. “Monaco was a bit unfortunate with having not done any free practice with the issue I had. But I feel like after those last two rounds, and since midway last year, I’ve been strong in qualifying.” 

That belief was validated at the Red Bull Ring. Goethe rode a wave of momentum on Friday after topping the practice session, while he qualified seventh, just 0.313 seconds off pole position, in an incredibly tight session with the top nine all within four tenths of pole.

“It’s not like we’ve changed much going into this weekend,” Goethe reflected the next day. “We’ve always known the potential was there to be good in qualifying, so it’s just been focusing on the details and maximising what I can. In the end, I don’t feel like I fully maximised it here, but the pace has been very strong – as we saw in practice – that even with a couple mistakes from my lap, I ended up seventh. So that’s definitely a positive that the pace is strong, and it brings a real confidence boost.”

That boost was immediately checked on Saturday, however, as the sprint race delivered a familiar bitter pill to swallow. On the opening lap heading into Turn 3, Rafael Câmara tagged the rear of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, sending both Inthraphuvasak and a completely blameless Goethe into a spin and out of the race.

On Sunday, Goethe and his crew opted for an alternate tyre strategy in an attempt to rebound. He braved the high-degradation opening stint; extended his run; and emerged back into the pack in a net eighth place armed with fresh supersofts. From there, Goethe unleashed a clinical late-race charge to cross the line third and secure his maiden F2 podium. It was a breakthrough, a feeling of catharsis after a trying season. 

An execution such as Sunday’s race doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Goethe has remained fiercely committed to consistent routines, whether by grinding through simulator sessions or gym workouts to maintain his physical conditioning. 

“It doesn’t mean I’m not working hard,” Goethe said. “In fact, I’d say I even work harder because I’m more motivated to turn it around. But in general I always approach weekends the same. I try to prepare as much as I can with the training and the simulator no matter the results. I think the main thing is to stay strong in the head when it’s not going right, and then eventually it’ll definitely turn around.”

That mental resilience is anchored by relationships that have remained constant both inside and outside of the garage. Goethe’s partnership with MP Motorsport dates back to Spanish F4 in 2020, with the pair now having completed 91 races together. Away from the garage, Goethe’s coach is Stuart Hall, a former World Endurance Championship GTE Am champion who has worked with Goethe since he was six years old. Goethe has also been part of Bullet Sports Management since 2020.

In Austria, Goethe’s father Roald Goethe – a former racing driver himself – was among those in attendance. Coming from a racing family, with older brother Benjamin Goethe competing in the World Endurance Championship, the 21-year-old has been provided continuous support throughout his rise.

“My dad is here. We have a nice little group with me this weekend,” Goethe noted. “We are working well together with my coach, my managers. We’re in a good place once the results are there. We’re working all together to make it work, and it’s a good atmosphere so far.

“They’re really important in our careers,” Goethe continued. “My dad also did racing himself so he knows the world a bit. I’m not sure he can bring much help on the technical side, but my parents are very supportive and I’m grateful for that.”

The Spielberg podium proved the potential Goethe had always believed was there. One week later, however, Silverstone served as another reminder that on-track consistency remains elusive. A disappointing 13th place in qualifying left him compromised for both grid starts, and Saturday’s sprint race yielded no progress. He fell backwards to finish 16th while teammate and championship contender Gabriele Minì fought for the win, ultimately finishing second. 

Sunday’s feature race brought no relief either. Goethe gambled on the alternate tyre strategy once again, but a distinct lack of pace on the prime hard compound during the opening stint saw him fall away from the pack again and cross the line a distant 18th. Meanwhile, Minì ran a successful race on the same strategy, finishing sixth after starting 10th. Minì’s ability to score points regardless of his starting position – he has only failed to score once – has only widened the gap between the two MP drivers across the season.

“The cars are very similar,” Goethe noted. “So for me it’s maximising the races, it’s staying out of trouble. Even if his qualifying wasn’t strong, he’s always advanced in the races by taking his opportunities, and so I’m learning that from him. He’s done a good job of that so far.”

The disparity between teammates is reflected in the standings. MP Motorsport currently sit second in the teams’ championship on 152 points, trailing leaders Campos Racing by 58 points. MP’s title charge, however, is heavily lopsided. Goethe has contributed just 28 points to the team’s tally this season compared to Miní’s 124. With such a clear contrast in delivery, Goethe is keeping a watchful eye on the other side of the MP garage to dissect what his teammate is doing differently.

“Regarding the car, the driving style, the setup, it’s all data,” Goethe explained. “That’s what we analyse after every season. Having a quick teammate is definitely good to learn from, but obviously I want to end up in front in the races.”

F2 action is set to return 17–19 July for round eight of 14 at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, where drivers’ initial title aspirations will have given way to a more measured strategy of focusing on each session as it comes. The objective for Goethe is to extract the same sort of raw pace he showed in Spielberg.

For the first time since 2023, too, Goethe is competing outside the traditional junior academy system, having parted ways with the Red Bull Junior Team in December 2025. He views the landscape of being a free agent with pragmatism.

“I’ve always said that the pressure is the same,” he said. “The goal is to make Formula 1, and no matter what team I’m in, that’s the goal for all of us as F2 drivers. Whether you’re in an academy or not, you need the results to get opportunities. I don’t think it’s a negative thing, I just need the results to interest other teams and prove that I’m worthy to be there.”

“The goal is to take it race by race,” he added. “Maximise what I can, that’s everything I can do in my control. Obviously I want to come back in the championship. Perhaps it’s a bit unrealistic to say I’ll be in the fight for the championship, but to finish in a strong position in the championship is still definitely possible.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency