Oliver Goethe received an early promotion to Formula 2 in 2024 after his second full campaign in Formula 3.
Making his debut in Formula 3 with Campos Racing in 2022, the German moved to Trident the following year for a full-time assault at the championship, grabbing his maiden win in the Feature Race at Silverstone as he finished eighth in the standings with 75 points.
Goethe returned to Campos in 2024 and registered one win and two podiums and scored points in all but three races heading into the final round at Monza.
The 20-year-old was seventh and had a mathematical chance of winning the title – albeit his odds were very slim. But Goethe would not get the chance to compete in the F3 season finale.
Oliver Goethe had initial talks with MP Motorsport over a 2025 seat that led to him replacing Franco Colapinto
Franco Colapinto was called up to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams from Monza onwards in F1, leaving a seat vacant at MP Motorsport in Formula 2.
Not long after the Argentine’s departure, it was announced that Goethe would be getting the opportunity to race in the next step, competing in the final four rounds of the 2024 season.
Speaking with Auto Motor und Sport, Goethe revealed that he had ‘initial discussions’ with MP over a seat in 2025, and that this helped him secure the seat as Colapinto’s replacement this season.
He said: “It only happened right before Monza. I tested in the simulator for the Campos team in Valencia to prepare for the Formula 3 final.
“When I left for Milan, I received a call at the airport from my management, who also looks after Franco Colapinto. That obviously gave us a time advantage. We started talking to MP Motorsport, but already knew the team from initial discussions for 2025.
“It was a bit of a shame to miss the F3 races because I had little chance of a very good final result. But the promotion is much more useful.”
How has Oliver Goethe performed in Formula 2 so far?
Goethe has competed in two rounds in F2 at Monza and Baku, and it has a difficult start for the German.
The 20-year-old was wiped out before the first corner on his debut in the Monza Sprint Race, before he finished 16th in the Feature Race.
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Baku faired no better for Goethe as he finished 21st in the Sprint Race. The following day, he was again taken out of before the first corner in the Feature Race after he was involved in a horror accident on the grid.
With the rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to go, Goethe will be hoping for better fortune as he eyes a full-time seat in 2025. But with his previous discussions, that may already be in place.