Oliver Goethe made his first visit to the Home of British Motor Racing last weekend memorable. The iconic circuit has seen many legendary victories over the years and Oliver added his name to the list with his stunning performance.
An excellent qualifying on Friday saw Oliver finish second, only a tenth off the pole position time, delivering his career-best Qualifying result in FIA F3. It wasn’t the first time Oliver started on the front row this year, Feature races held on the morning of the F1 Grand Prix carry more importance than reverse grid sprint races.
Oliver lined up beside Trident Racing teammate Leonardo Fornaroli. He was quick off the line and then slid down to P3 in the chaotic opening lap but he soon reclaimed P2 with a spectacular move on Pepe Marti on the inside of Stowe.
An incident on the second lap brought out the first safety car. Five laps later the race resumed and Goethe had a great restart, staying hot on the heels of his teammate. He remained within DRS range of Fornaroli, keeping him under constant pressure.
On lap 15, Oliver took the lead with a clean move on the Italian and immediately started to pull a gap.
The rain began to fall with only 5 laps to go, resulting in an incident that brought out the safety car once again. Although the rain increased, most drivers stayed on slick tyres, including Oliver who was leading the pack circulating behind the safety car for three laps before the race went back to green.
Goethe timed his restart perfectly and held onto the lead despite the difficult conditions, keeping Fornaroli out of his DRS range and crossed the line in first place, claiming his maiden win in FIA Formula 3.
Oliver Goethe:
“FIA F3 race winner. I haven’t had time to process the win yet. Such an amazing feeling to be on top of the podium, especially on a Sunday before the F1 race. There have been many frustrating moments since Bahrain, but now I feel more confident than ever. The car was mega all weekend. I was really happy with my Qualifying and although Sprint Race didn’t go my way, my main focus was to deliver on Sunday, and I think I nailed it. I was able to manage my tires better than the people around me whilst still keeping up the pace and then I was able to overtake and create a gap. In the last few laps after the safety car came in I was doing my best to bring it home as the conditions were seriously tricky and I managed to keep it on the black stuff. I’m grateful to Trident for their hard work, and to everyone supporting me, my family, Stuart, my sponsors, Bullet Sports Management and everyone supporting and believing in me.”
Stuart Hall, Motorsports Director, ROFGO Racing:
“Oliver has raw talent as he’s just proved it to the world. It was a very proud moment for all of us to see him on that podium. He delivered a close-to-perfect weekend with a superb Qualifying on Friday and a mature race on Sunday. We shouldn’t forget that this is his rookie year in one of the most competitive junior single-seater series in the world, so he’s still got a lot to learn. However, this win doesn’t mean he can lean back. The hard work continues, and fortunately, he’s got the right people around him to help him keep the momentum for the final leg of the season.”
With 25 points added to his tally, Goethe moves up to 10th in the championship.
The next round of the 2023 FIA F3 season will take place at the Hungaroring in Budapest on 21-23 July.
