Goethe happy to hit ground running after ending up fastest on first day in Jerez

5 October 2023

Oliver Goethe picked up right from where he left off after pole position in the final round of 2023 in Monza, as he topped the first day of post-season testing for Campos Racing.

The German driver put his fresh tyres to good use in the cooler morning session to set the best time of the day on a 1:30.814.

Having had time out of the car to debrief and reflect on the first day of post-season action, Goethe says that his one lap and long run pace was looking positive immediately off the bat in Jerez.

“It's been a really good day overall, super positive. On the new tyres in the morning, I managed to get the quickest lap, so it's a great start. Then we did a long runs, which was also very positive. The average lap time was very good, so that's good. Then we put new tyres on again in the afternoon and it was not too bad.

“I can't really complain. It was a bit of a messy session, though with people still doing long runs. Overall, I'm really happy with the team with myself. So a great start to post-season testing.”

After taking pole position for the final race of 2023 just over one month ago, Goethe says that the break has felt like a long one but that having a test close to the end of the campaign and a strong weekend is crucial.

With a strong competitive reference point to compare notes to from Monza and with prior experience driving for Campos Racing, Goethe says it allowed both him and the team to maximise their track time throughout the day.

The German driver competed in two rounds of the 2022 FIA F3 season for the Spanish outfit. During his four race appearances for the team, he achieved notable results that included finishing the Budapest Sprint Race in eighth and the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race in fourth position.

After finishing day one on top, Goethe says that he can feel the difference and steps forward the team has made since he last drove for them back in 2022.

“It's always useful to have a test especially with the F3 cars. You don’t get that many tests, so each lap you get in them is really crucial to maximise your growth as a driver, but also for the team in order to give good feedback. It feels like it's been longer than a month to be honest since I was last in a car but it's nice to be back.

“I did two races with Campos last year and they went really well, so I knew I could be quick with them. I feel like they’ve made a further step and the car feels amazing.”

Day two of post-season testing in Jerez gets underway at 09:00 local time on Friday, 06 October.