MP Motorsport’s F2 pre-season testing in Barcelona has the Dutch outfit in an encouraging position ahead of the season opener in Melbourne. In 2025, the team finished 5th in the Teams’ Standings with 207 points, while Richard Verschoor secured 3rd in the Drivers’ Standings.
Oliver Goethe returns to the F2 grid and team with renewed determination, aiming for success and strong results in his sophomore season alongside new teammate: Gabriele Minì. The 20 year-old Italian joins from PREMA Racing following a challenging rookie season which saw him finish 13th in the Drivers’ Standings.
Following the three-day pre-season test, MP Motorsport’s Team Manager Jeremy Cotterill reflected on how the team’s programme had unfolded, sharing: “We have been working through our programme, looks okay. Not going to be too excited or too disappointed – it is what it is. We’re working through our programme, and it looks okay. A bit of a stoppage on day two, but we had the time to kind of make up for that on day three.”
“Admittedly, it did disrupt the test programme, but it is what it is. But as always, we adapt and change the programme and move some things to the afternoon and some things to the morning. Apart from that bit, so far so good.”
The importance of team dynamics in MP Motorsport’s development
While Verschoor departs the championship after a five-year stint in F2, Goethe provides continuity for MP Motorsport. As the season opener in Melbourne approaches, Cotterill shared insights on how Goethe and Minì are settling in as teammates and expressed optimism about the team’s prospects for the first round of the 2026 F2 season.
“Ollie [Goethe] was with the team last year. Gabri’s [Minì] learning, but he’s slotted in really well into the team. Ollie has obviously been with us for the year before, so we know him very well. It’s a new dynamic, but not a bad one.”
“It’s good and everybody seems to be getting along just fine. I’m optimistic about Melbourne, we’ve gone reasonably well there so far. But certainly, no complacency as far as I’m concerned.”
Although testing in Barcelona was valuable, not all insights will apply at the season opener in Melbourne, where drivers face the challenges of a high-speed street circuit. Looking ahead, Cotterill believes the lessons learned in Barcelona could prove crucial in Bahrain. However, the team continues to focus on improving and refining their car as they analyse more data ahead of the first round.
“It’s things that we are testing on the cars that need to be evaluated. And we’ll see whether we think it’s worth applying for Melbourne or whether it’s something that needs to be revisited, perhaps in Bahrain.”
“But there are plenty of things that we’re looking to try to improve the car. As I say, it’s not an instant decision. It has to then be analysed after the test, once we can look at the data in more detail.”
