Photo: Red Bull
MP Motorsport has announced Oliver Goethe will replace Franco Colapinto in its Formula 2 line-up at Monza this weekend, bringing an end to Goethe’s Formula 3 title challenge.
Goethe had headed to Monza as one of seven drivers in contention to win the FIA Formula 3 title, albeit with an extremely outside shot since there was a gap of 35 points he needed to make up on the championship leader and with 39 available to score in the season’s final round.
A win at Imola, two other podiums and two fastest laps were the high points of Goethe’s second ‘full-time’ FIA F3 campaign.
Colapinto’s last-minute call-up to make his Formula 1 debut with Williams opened up the door for Goethe to step up to F2, a move he was due to spend this weekend planning rather than actually doing, and it now leaves Campos Racing in search of a replacement driver to complete its F3 line-up less than two days before track action begins.
“Although I haven’t got any experience in this F2 car, the two seasons I spent in FIA F3 gave me a great foundation for this step,” said Goethe.
“My goals for this weekend are to soak up all the information MP Motorsport provides me with and learn as much as I can. It won’t be easy even on a track I know well because all my competitors have so much more experience than me and I got the call so late that I didn’t have a chance to do simulator prep for F2.
“But in some way, this is similar to my FIA F3 debut in 2022, where I joined the series mid-season and scored points on my first attempt and finished P4 in the feature race in Spa.
“Overall, I’m happy with my consistency this year and my win and podiums. I am a bit sad that I can’t finish my F3 season as planned, I would have loved to go out with a bang with my Campos Racing team. I wish good luck to them and to the drivers still in the fight for the title. I will be following the races for sure.”
Goethe is part of the same Bullet Sports Management group as Colapinto, and has even been coached by him earlier in his career with his father helping to fund Colapinto’s racing in return. His management confirmed that he will remain in MP’s F2 line-up for the remaining three rounds after this weekend’s event.