Oliver Goethe hopes his pace in Free Practice at the F2 2026 Austrian GP, can mark the beginning of a turnaround after a difficult run of results.
The MP Motorsport driver set the fastest time at the Red Bull Ring with a 1:16.978, beating Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov by 0.070s.
Goethe moved to the top during the early qualifying-style runs and remained there for the rest of the session. A red flag interrupted the field’s push laps before several teams switched their focus to longer runs, leaving his benchmark unbeaten.
The result gave Goethe an encouraging start to the Spielberg weekend as he looks to rediscover the form he showed at the opening round of the season.
“I’m definitely feeling good,” said Goethe. “It’s a great start to the weekend. Hopefully the momentum starts here because it’s been a couple of bad weekends for me. It’s been a tough start to the year.”
“We’ve always known the pace is there, so it’s just about getting that momentum back and being in a good rhythm. Hopefully this is the start of that. Obviously full push in qualifying to try to replicate and keep working on what I’m doing.”
Goethe searches for a change in momentum
Goethe has not scored a point since finishing fourth in the Melbourne Feature Race.
Although the 21-year-old believes he has regularly shown the necessary pace, he has struggled to convert it into results during the rounds that followed.
Topping Free Practice therefore carried added significance. It provided an immediate sign that Goethe and MP Motorsport could compete near the front in Spielberg, while also giving him a positive platform ahead of qualifying.
However, Goethe has not made significant changes to his preparation. Instead, he has concentrated on remaining mentally strong and treating every round as a fresh opportunity.
“I’ve always been preparing as well as I could for all the races,” Goethe responded. “I’ve been continuing to prepare well.”
“I think the important thing is not to give up and to stay strong in the head because when it’s not going right it’s easy to go in a downward spiral.”
“I just try to stay strong in the head, resetting after every weekend and focusing on the next. That’s what I’ve been doing and then it pays off.”
Mental reset key after difficult weekends
Goethe’s comments underline the challenge drivers face when a difficult run begins to build.
A lack of results can quickly affect confidence, even when the underlying speed remains. Goethe has instead tried to separate each weekend from the last and avoid allowing previous setbacks to influence his next opportunity.
That approach appeared to pay off during Free Practice. He delivered a clean lap when it mattered and ended the session ahead of the field at a circuit where small margins often separate several drivers.
The short Red Bull Ring layout will make qualifying particularly demanding. Traffic, track limits and minor errors can all have a significant effect on the final order.
Goethe must now reproduce his practice performance when the stakes increase.
Confidence rises ahead of qualifying
Although the F2 Free Practice at the 2026 Austrian GP offered no points, Goethe believes the result confirmed that the pace he has felt throughout the season remains present.
“It definitely gives me confidence,” added Goethe. “I’ve always known my pace has been strong. Like I said, it’s the momentum and the rhythm that we need to get back.”
“It’s good to be back at the top and I’m going to try to continue on that. The confidence is high.”
Goethe now heads into qualifying with renewed belief and a clear target: turn his strong start in Spielberg into the result needed to end his points drought.
