Ollie Goethe says his rookie Formula 2 season has fallen short of expectations, even though his pace has improved round by round. After 12 rounds, the MP Motorsport driver sat 17th in the standings with a best finish of P4 in the Sprint Races at Sakhir and Spa-Francorchamps — form he believes understates his progress.
“It’s not gone as good as I would have hoped,” says Goethe. “There is definitely a lot of positives that were there throughout the season so far, but the results have not come.”
“It’s a shame, especially in the last few rounds. I have been very quick and I have not been able to turn that in to results. So it’s promising, but a bit disappointing and I feel frustrated that I have not been able to show my true potential.”
Qualifying, starts and confidence
Goethe points to one-lap execution as the main weakness of his F2 season early on. He reached the top 10 in Qualifying twice in the opening seven rounds (Sakhir and Imola) but too often lined up just outside the key positions, which compromised Sundays.
“A lot of things haven’t gone right,” Goethe concedes. “In the first half of the season I was struggling a lot in Qualifying, but the race pace was strong. However, in Qualifying I was always just outside the top 10, which was very frustrating.”
“Also the starts have been pretty poor. In recent rounds, I have had quite a bit of bad luck to be honest, in the races, because the pace was definitely stronger. But just in general, everything has gone a bit wrong, especially with mistakes.”
“But I know and the team know the potential that is there. So I hope to make an impact and show what I can do, and to prove myself that I deserve another chance next year.”
Praising his teammate
The uneven run did knock him at times, but he says the trend has turned thanks to stronger Saturdays, including top-six Qualifying results in two of the last three rounds (Budapest and Monza).
“There are definitely moments where my confidence has been knocked back.”
Goethe credits MP’s faith and Richard Verschoor’s guidance for helping him raise the bar as the F2 season progressed.
“It definitely helps to have a team that believes in you and with MP I have that,” he says. “They know what I am capable of doing, and I know what they are capable of providing.”
“It also helps to have a good teammate. He has been good this season, mostly because of how consistent he has been, and there’s definitely a lot of things I have learned from him with his experience.”
“Every time I get in the car I am still learning. I know what the potential is, and it helps to have a good team and good teammate to back me up and to support me. A good teammate is good to learn from, so I use it to my advantage.”
Red Bull backing — and the deliverables
Goethe reflects on the path that brought him here, grateful for early family support and for the chance Red Bull has given him since 2023. He knows the partnership puts F1 within reach, but only if he converts pace into points.
“It’s that one step closer to Formula 1,” he says when talking about being a Red Bull junior driver. “So it is a great feeling, just to be a Red Bull athlete as well, to represent the brand, it’s cool. They gave me the opportunity to prove myself and that is what I am aiming to do.”
“But I need better results, it’s quite as simple as that, without the results you will not making it to Formula 1. This year has not gone my way, it hasn’t gone the way it should have with the potential I have shown.
“So my goal is to have another year in Formula 2 and to have another chance to really prove myself.”
