18-year-old Goethe joined Trident Racing for his first full season in one of the most competitive junior single-seater championships in the world.
Qualifying in FIA F3 is crucial as it sets the grid for both races of the weekend and the reigning Euroformula Open Champion was quick to put his Trident machinery to work in the Bahrain heat. He set the fourth fastest lap time, only 0,024s off third-placed Saucy, securing a second-row start for the Feature Race and ninth place on the grid for Saturday’s Sprint Race.
Oliver got a strong launch off the line in the opening race, making up three positions by the end of the first lap. Soon after, the race was interrupted by the safety car, neutralising the field for the first time, followed by another SC period straight after the restart. The German/Danish ROFGO Junior handled the challenging situation perfectly, keeping a cool head and reclaimed sixth place, finishing the first race of the weekend with a strong haul of points.
But the real highlight of the weekend came on the Sunday of the Grand Prix. Lining up fourth on the grid in front of the F1 crowds, Goethe made a solid start and was right on the tail of Gregoire Saucy. He launched a fierce attack on the 23-year-old Swiss on lap 15 and snatched the final spot on the podium with a spectacular move down the start-finish straight. Following race leader Gabriele Mini’s five-second penalty, Goethe was promoted to second place, collecting 18 points that put the Bullet Athlete in second place in the overall standings.
Oliver Goethe:
“What a start to the season! It felt amazing to stand on the F1 podium on an F1 weekend. We worked really hard over the winter and it is already paying off. Trident’s level of preparation is on another level and I owe a lot of thanks to all of them for preparing me to be ready for this. Of course, none of this is possible without the support of all my sponsors for allowing me to be here and chase my dreams. I can’t wait to see what Melbourne has in store for us.”
Maria Catarineu, Commercial Director, Bullet Sports Management:
“A dream debut for Oliver in Trident colours. This is a tough championship even for the most experienced driver, so to come here as a rookie who never raced at this track before and fight his way to the podium is an extraordinary achievement. Oliver didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend. His one-lap pace in Qualifying was impressive and he managed to transform that into great results in both races. Seeing him standing on the podium fills us all with great pride and we are excited to see what is to come for our young gun.”
