Goethe: Championship hopes slim but aiming to end improved 2024 on a high in Monza

Oliver Goethe is one of seven drivers in with a chance of being crowned Drivers’ Champion at the season finale in Monza. However, the German acknowledges his hopes of sealing the title are slimmer than his rivals.

The Campos Racing driver heads to Italian soil seventh in the Standings on 94 points – 35 points behind leader Leonardo Fornaroli.

Speaking recently, Goethe admitted he faces a tall task to walk away with the title in Monza but did say he was looking to improve his finishing position with a strong final performance of the year.

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“I mean I'm still technically in the Championship fight,” he said. “I don't know how many points exactly it is, but my goal is just to work hard over the summer and to maximise the Monza weekend as much as possible.

“It's very tight in the Championship above me, not so tight behind me, so I can only move up from where I am pretty much and I hoping to move up a few positions with a strong weekend.

“Anything can happen. We've seen it in F3, you can have an extremely strong weekend, especially in Monza where you can overtake if the pace is strong, and you have the possibility of getting two top results and to get a huge bag of points.

“To actually win the Championship, there is a lot that has to go my way, all the other drivers pretty much have to score low, or zero points and I would have to win the two races. Of course that's my goal, I'll do my best to do that, but I just have to focus on myself, that's all I can do.

“I will just focus on a good lap in Qualifying, stay out of trouble in the races and just move forward like I have been doing this season in the races and I am sure the results will be there.”

This would bring an end to a campaign where Goethe believes he has proven a lot. He started the year with 13 consecutive points finishes – tying Gabriel Bortoleto for the second longest streak in Formula 3 history behind David Beckmann’s 15.

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During that time, he won the Imola Sprint Race and achieved a further two podium finishes, and as he looked back on the season, Goethe reasoned why it has been a strong one.

“The season has been pretty consistent,” he continued. “There have been some big weekends like Imola that got me some strong points and some not so good weekends as well where I didn't score enough points to perhaps be at the top of the Championship.

“I feel like this year I've shown some good potential, there is a lot of stuff that hasn't gone our way and as I said it's so tight at the top of the Championship that if one more weekend had gone our way it would be looking completely different.

“I believe I have driven well this season, similar to how I was driving at the end of the last season, when I was getting some good results. I feel like I've been improving, in general the past few years I've been improving, and I still feel like there is a lot more show.

“So, overall, it's been a strong season. I feel like I've learned a lot and there is still one more round to go, so I will give it my all and I hoping to at least finish in the top five.”

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While Goethe will be preparing for Monza, he also revealed that part of his and his rivals summer break will be spent speaking to teams and planning their 2025 campaigns.

But the main focus for now will still be on ending the 2024 season on a high. “In terms of preparation, I'm doing my best to prepare for Monza,” he concluded.

“Of course there is quite a long break, so after Spa I had a few days off and then I’m straight back to preparing. I’m in the sim, training and sort of resetting and using this month to prepare for Monza, so that's all going to be happening over the next few weeks.”