Top 10 qualifying a big ‘confidence boost’ for Goethe as he targets two strong Spa races

Oliver Goethe was delighted to qualify in 10th at Spa Francorchamps, with the result giving the MP Motorsport driver a huge boost going into the races.

This is the German’s second top 10 Qualifying result of the season and his first since ending up eighth at Round 4 in Imola. Speaking afterwards, Goethe was delighted with his improved performance.

“Feels good to be back in the top 10, it’s a big confidence boost,” The MP driver said. “In qualifying, we have struggled a lot this year, so to be back in the top 10, we have a lot of opportunities to get some results in the races now.

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“Our race pace this year has been really strong. So I am looking forward to tomorrow and for Sunday, it’s not a bad position to start. I’m already inside the top 10, so if we can make up some positions and score some good points, it will be very nice.”

Talking through the session as a whole, Goethe acknowledged that he put himself on the back foot by having his two laps on his first set of Soft tyres deleted for exceeding track limits.

It prompted him to go without a tow on his final push lap of the day, something he admits was quite risky given the long straights at the Belgian track.

“The session itself was quite messy,” Goethe reflected. “On the first set of tyres, I got both my laps deleted for track limits, so I was really out of the picture if there was a Red Flag on the second set.

“Our goal was just to get a good lap in on the first lap. Everyone was messing about on the warmup, trying to get a slipstream, so I played it safe, but risky at the same time, and decided to ignore that and go on my own.

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“Of course, I lost a lot of time without having a tow, but in case there was a Red Flag I was in the best position. Thankfully, the pace was good enough to get in the top 10 alone.

“It was a bit scary. Everyone was improving, I could see my name going down and down the leaderboard, but it was good enough for top 10. So, I’m really happy with the job I did, it’s a step in the right direction.”

Looking ahead to both races, Goethe is set to start from reverse grid pole in Saturday's Sprint Race, although with the nature of the circuit, he concedes it will not be easy to keep the lead.

However, he is hopeful his long run pace, which he says has been good all season, will put in a good position to score some points this weekend.

“The race pace has always been very strong,” said Goethe. “Already being inside the top 10, you gain a lot of positions with the reverse grid and top 10 in the Feature Race.

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“It’s not the best track to start in P1, might even be better to start P2, but at least I am at the front. I will try and get a great start, do a great Turn 1, which is already quite difficult on the first lap already.

“I would love to keep my position but if not, it’s a long race and being P2 there is definitely an opportunity to get the place back.

“It’s a really long race and with the race pace we have it’s a positive place to start. It’s definitely nicer to start in these positions, it helps a lot.”