Oliver Goethe heads into the 2026 F2 Hungarian GP aiming to turn promising pace into a complete weekend before the summer break.
The MP Motorsport driver has shown flashes of speed throughout the first half of the season, but his results have not always matched the potential. His breakthrough came at the Austrian GP, where he used the alternative strategy to charge to third in the Feature Race and claim his maiden F2 podium.
Spa then brought another mixed weekend. Goethe scored a point in the Belgian GP Sprint Race after finishing eighth, but his Feature Race ended on the opening lap when he stopped at the bottom of Eau Rouge after early contact elsewhere in the field.
Speaking to the media, including Pit Debrief, ahead of the 2026 Hungarian GP, Goethe said he wants to finish the first half of the year strongly, both for himself and for MP Motorsport.
Goethe wants MP Motorsport to maximise Hungary opportunity
MP Motorsport enters the Hungarian GP locked in a close fight with Rodin Motorsport in the Teams’ Championship. Goethe admitted his own side of the garage has left points behind, while teammate Gabriele Minì has scored consistently.
“I mean, first of all, obviously we’re trying to go into the summer break on a high note. It’s been a tricky first half of the year. We’ve had some really promising moments, but a lot of bad luck and also some mistakes from my side have cost me and the team quite a lot of points,” he said.
“Gabriele [Minì] has been very consistent in getting a lot of the points for the team, but from my side, I just need to really maximise the pace that we have, the potential that we have, because it’s there. But yeah, finishing the race with more points, it’s always needed to fight higher in the championship. So that’s what I’m looking to do this weekend and the first part of the season, going into the summer break on a high note.”
“Last year, we were really strong here in Budapest, so we’re looking to have that pace again this year and then maximise the races.”
2026 F2 Hungarian GP could become a turning point for Goethe
Goethe’s first F2 podium in Spielberg showed what can happen when his race comes together. Hungary now offers another opportunity, especially because he considers the Hungaroring one of his stronger circuits.
Asked whether the race could become a turning point in his season, Goethe said that is exactly the aim.
“Yeah, that’s what we’re aiming for. I think this is a strong track of mine. It’s a strong track of the team.”
“So we’re just looking to take it session by session. But I think we’re all going into this weekend confident to get results. So the confidence is there.”
“I just need to deliver. And yeah, hopefully we get some more podiums from here onwards.”
“The results haven’t reflected” the potential
When asked by Pit Debrief whether he had identified the main areas he needs to improve to turn flashes of pace into more consistent results, Goethe admitted the situation has been frustrating.
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, it’s been really frustrating. Also, the second half of last season, I was definitely amongst the quickest drivers, fighting for pole positions and podiums, but a lot of things not going my way,” he admitted.
“Again, a couple of mistakes from my side and moments of bad luck. But yeah, I have to just keep my head up and really focus on everything session by session and just maximise what’s in my control. I’m looking forward to turning it around because we know the potential is there, but the results haven’t reflected that.”
“So it’s very frustrating, but I’m definitely keeping my head up and looking to turn it around.”
That answer captures the main theme of Goethe’s season so far. He does not need to find a completely new level of performance. Instead, he needs cleaner weekends, stronger qualifying and fewer setbacks outside his control.
Strategy remains important after Austria podium
Goethe’s podium came after a bold alternative strategy helped him surge through the field late in the Feature Race. Fresh supersoft tyres allowed him to join the fight for third before he completed the move into the podium places.
Asked whether a similar strategy call could play a role at the Hungaroring, Goethe said the answer would depend on qualifying, race pace and how the weekend develops.
“Yeah, strategy always plays a factor in the races, no matter which strategy you go for. There’s advantages and disadvantages to both. There’s risks and safer options with both.”
“It depends a lot where you qualify. It depends on the track, depends on the deck. It’s a big call in the end, but a lot of things that can happen outside of your control.”
“And with both strategies, if you don’t have the pace, then it will be difficult to get results. So either way, if you have the pace, you should be able to make either strategy work. Of course, if you don’t get very unlucky with a safety car or whatever.”
“But yeah, we’ll see what strategy we go for. It all depends on the sprint race and on qualifying. So there’s nothing I can say on that yet, but hopefully it’s the correct one in the end.”
Hungary could put even greater emphasis on track position than Spa or Spielberg. Overtaking usually proves difficult at the Hungaroring, so qualifying well may reduce the need for recovery strategies and help Goethe avoid the kind of midfield chaos that has hurt him before.
Spa shows why qualifying matters
Goethe’s Belgian GP weekend underlined that point. He recovered to eighth in the Sprint Race, but he had started too far back to fight for more. Then, in the Feature Race, his race ended almost immediately.
Reflecting on Spa, Goethe accepted that some incidents sit outside a driver’s control, but he also recognised that starting lower down increases the risk.
“Obviously, the pace and everything was good in the first race. I managed to make up some positions and get the single point. But from 13th or 14th on the grid, it wasn’t a bad race from my side.”
“And I was going into Sunday race really confident that we had the speed to make more positions. Also with strategy, like I said earlier, it can play a huge part in the race and you can gain a lot of positions with that. So I was confident we could really get a strong race on Sunday.”
“So it was really a shame to end the race so early. Again, it’s a bit of a moment of wrong place at the wrong time and bad luck. But on the other hand, I also qualified quite low down, which also puts me at that risk of being in the mess in the middle.”
“So I have to work on that because starting at the front, it’s always easier to avoid trouble and make the races work easier than further back. So that’s what I can do. That’s in my control.”
“And like I said earlier, that’s what we’re aiming to do in these races.”
That may be the key to Goethe’s 2026 F2 Hungarian GP. The pace has appeared often enough. The Austrian podium proved he can convert it when the race comes towards him. Spa showed how quickly a weekend can disappear when he starts in the danger zone.
As F2 reaches the final round before the summer break, Goethe needs more than another promising performance. He needs the kind of clean, controlled weekend that can finally turn potential into sustained momentum.
