Oliver Goethe kicked off Round 2 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship in style, topping the times in Free Practice and leading a 1-2 for MP Motorsport at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The Red Bull Junior Team driver left it late to post his best effort, but it was worth the wait. His 1:47.789 lap in the closing moments was enough to see him finish the session ahead of teammate Richard Verschoor.
AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen was the first to set the pace, clocking a 1:48.954 early on. DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford wasn’t far off either, trailing by just 0.022s in the first ten minutes.
As the session settled, Campos Racing’s Josep MarÃa Martà took over at the top with a 1:48.379. That time edged out Victor Martins, who slotted into second in his ART Grand Prix car sporting the Williams colours.
Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne also showed strong early pace, going third quickest to make it three drivers separated by less than a tenth. TRIDENT’s Sami Meguetounif followed in fourth, while Leonardo Fornaroli rounded out the top five for Invicta Racing, just 0.166s away from MartÃ’s time.
With the focus shifting to longer runs in the middle of the session, it looked like Martà might hold on to the fastest lap. But in the final few minutes, Goethe found clear air and lit up the timing screens. His 1:47.789 couldn’t be matched, and Verschoor backed up the team’s pace by going second, two tenths behind.
Martà held onto third, followed by Martins and PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì, who jumped into the top five late on.
Crawford, Dunne, Meguetounif, Fornaroli and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten as teams now turn their attention to Qualifying, which gets underway at 16:55 local time.
