The German driver picked up where he left off in Silverstone. He started the weekend setting the 7th fastest lap time in the practice in the scorching summer heat. However, after a dry session in the morning, Qualifying started on a damp track, causing havoc and after the first push laps an incident brought out the red flag. Once the session went back to green, Oliver shot to the top of the timing boards with a 1:37.440 lap time, 0,2 s clear of the chasing pack. As the track dried up, the lap times started to improve and in the end, he finished the session in P5 with a 1:31.706.
Goethe started Saturday’s reverse grid Sprint Race from P7 on the grid. He was quick off the line and he moved up to sixth after the first corner. In a race where tyre management was crucial due to the high degradation, the 18-year-old kept his Pirellis alive and crossed the line in fifth place after a clean move on Mansell with two laps to go.
Sunday morning wasn’t any cooler so due to raised concerns about the high level of tyre wear, the series organisers decided to reduce the length of the Feature Race to 19 laps instead of the usual 24 laps.
Oliver got a good launch from P5, making a move on Colapinto around the outside of Turn 1, the roles were reversed at turn 2 however, and he settled in to the race. A DRS train formed and he conserved his tyres for the first few laps. By lap 9 he found himself on the tail of Trident teammate Leonardo Fornaroli. Oliver executed a spectacular move on the Italian around the outside of Turn 2 and moved up to fourth place, throwing himself after Colapinto once again. Due to the shortness of the race and the bad tyre wear, he didn’t have another chance to launch an attack but he still finished the race in P4, making it the second race weekend of the season with a double points finish.
Adding 18 points to his tally, Goethe moves up to P8 in the championship with two more rounds to go.
Oliver Goethe:
“Tyre degradation was really bad this weekend so it was a game of survival. With a solid Qualifying and decent race pace, I still finished both races in the top 5 nevertheless and leaving Hungary with important points in the bag. I am glad we were able to carry the momentum from Silverstone. Next week we go again at Spa, one of my favourite tracks.”
María Catarineu, Commercial Director Bullet Sports Management:
“Oliver has really stepped up his game since Red Bull Ring. He proved once again this weekend that he is a force to reckon with, even under challenging circumstances. The tyre situation was terrible but Ollie handled it perfectly, collecting a good haul of points. He can leave Budapest with his head held high. Now he needs to keep up the hard work and finish the season on a high note.”
The FIA Formula 3 season continues next weekend (27-30 July) with the penultimate round at Spa-Francorchamps.