Goethe shocks the field to take maiden F2 pole in intense Qatar qualifying

Written by Vyas Ponnuri

MP Motorsport's Ollie Goethe took his maiden F2 pole in a deciding qualifying session in Qatar, snatching the position in the final moments from championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli, while ART's Victor Martins finished in the top three.

Goethe will start from pole | Credit: MP Motorsport

Fornaroli, who had dominated almost the entire session and looked on course for yet another pole position, would have to settle for second after being pipped to the post. Martins took yet another top three start in 2025.

Behind the top three, Fornaroli's teammate Roman Staněk finished fourth on the road, ahead of championship contender Alex Dunne in fifth.

PREMA Racing's Sebastián Montoya finished sixth on the road, ahead of Campos F2 debutant Nikola Tsolov, while the top ten was rounded out by VAR's Rafael Villagómez, AIX Racing's Joshua Dürksen, and MP Motorsport championship contender Richard Verschoor. The Dutchman will start the Saturday sprint from pole.

AS IT UNFOLDED - F2 qualifying in Qatar

Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli came into the season's penultimate qualifying on the back of topping free practice earlier on Friday. Hitech's Dino Beganovic and Rodin Motorsport's Alex Dunne rounded out the top three.

The first half of qualifying saw status quo, with both Invicta Racing cars in the top three after two rounds of laps. Fornaroli led the way with a 1:36.996, sitting just 0.075 seconds ahead of MP Motorsport's 0.2 seconds clear of teammate Roman Staněk. Fellow championship contender Jak Crawford sat fourth in the order, the closest championship contender in the standings as well as on the circuit.

Several drivers experienced excursions during the first half of the session, with the likes of Hitech TGR's Dino Beganovic even experiencing a spin at Turn 4 early on his flying laps. The team experienced a slow start to the session, sitting 17th and 18th in the order.

PREMA Racing's Sebastián Montoya too had a bout of oversteer heading into the high speed final sector, just keeping his car pointing ahead on the track and avoiding a spin. The Colombian looked to settle down, almost facing disqualification from the weekend due to taking part in other racing series without the FIA's permission.

The likes of Laurens van Hoepen, Kush Maini, Fornaroli and Richard Verschoor also kicked up gravel at Turn 14, scampering across the gravel trap in a bid to find lap time through the high speed corners in the final sector.

Track limits also played its hand in affecting the order initially, with AIX Racing's Joshua Dürksen losing his first lap time for track limits, and dropping down to 20th on the road. At the end of the first half, only Trident's debutant James Wharton was yet to set a lap time.

Among the happiest teams on the grid were Van Amersfoort Racing, with both Rafael Villagómez and John Bennnett sitting seventh and eighth respectively after the first runs.

With 10 minutes of the session to go, drivers returned to the Lusail International Circuit for one round of fast laps to set the grid for the weekend's races. Browning, down in 18th and facing a big turnaround to keep himself in the title fight, ventured onto the track first to set his flying lap.

Despite going over the gravel trap at Turn 14, Browning moved up to sixth in the order, while teammate Beganovic went up to provisional pole with six minutes to go.

But all eyes turned to Fornaroli, who was setting a blistering lap behind, to eventually go over half a second clear of the field. Staněk and Goethe made their way back into the top three, but still almost 0.25 seconds off the Italian's time atop the ladder.

Elsewhere, Maini had yet another excursion through Turn 14, going wide in the fast right hander, as he lay down in 20th in the standings.

In the championship picture, Verschoor found time in the first sector to go into the top 10. However, several names improved their times in the dying moments of the session, with the likes of Villagómez, Campos debutant Nikola Tsolov and ART Grand Prix's Victor Martins making their way into the top ten.

However, despite Fornaroli finding more time on his flying lap, it was Verschoor's teammate Goethe who took pole position, by the fine margins of 0.040 seconds from the championship leader. Fornaroli eventually stopped on track after the session, reporting an issue from his Invicta Racing car.

Crawford's final laps were scuppered with excursions through the gravel trap at Turn 14, and his tyres were past their best when he rounded the final corner to see the chequered flag. The American racer found himself down in 15th, alongside Browning in 18th, while Tsolov's teammate Arvid Lindblad ended the session down in 17th.

A first pole position for MP Motorsport and Goethe, surprises in the top 10, and major championship contenders down the order, here's how F2 qualifying in Qatar unfolded.

Classification - F2 Qualifying at Qatar

1. Ollie Goethe (MP Motorsport)

2. Leonardo Fornaroli (Invicta Racing)

3. Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix)

4. Roman Staněk (Invicta Racing)

5. Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport)

6. Sebastián Montoya (PREMA Racing)

7. Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing)

8. Rafael Villagómez (Van Amersfoort Racing)

9. Joshua Dürksen (AIX Racing)

10. Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport)

11. Dino Beganovic (Hitech TGR)

12. Martinius Stenshorne (Rodin Motorsport)

13. John Bennett (Van Amersfoort Racing)

14. Gabriele Minì (PREMA Racing)

15. Jak Crawford (DAMS)

16. Ritomo Miyata (ART Grand Prix)

17. Arvid Lindblad (Campos Racing)

18. Luke Browning (Hitech TGR)

19. Cian Shields (AIX Racing)

20. Kush Maini (DAMS)

21. James Wharton (Trident)

22. Laurens van Hoepen (Trident)