Facts and figures for the 2023 season

Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup

"After the finale in Mugello, we can look back on the past season and say that it was a successful year for the Drexler Formula Cup, which ended with an exciting finale in Tuscany. Our thanks go to the participants and teams, as well as the sponsors and supporters of our formula series, which has established itself in Europe with further internationalisation," says coordinator Franz Wöss. To emphasise this fact once again, the cooperation with the ZINOX F2000 Trophy from Italy should be highlighted. Both series together form the basis for exciting formula racing and are still regarded as a platform for Formula 3 and Formula Renault. Of the eight race weekends held, seven took place on Formula 1 circuits alone. "We should also have this on the agenda for 2024. The Formula 1 tracks are a special challenge for the Formula 3 drivers," says Franz Wöss.

Drexler-Automotive Formula 3 Cup
In the Formula 3 Cup, Benjamin Berta (Franz Wöss Racing) completed the season impressively and was crowned champion in Mugello. The Hungarian finished on the podium fifteen times and took five race wins. With 306 points, Berta underlined his extremely consistent season. Juju Noda (Noda Racing), who fought a duel with defending champion Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing), certainly kept things exciting right to the end. The Japanese driver took a total of seven victories and snatched the runner-up spot in the final race with a total of 262 points ahead of Sandro Zeller, who finished third with 259 points. Zeller was only able to win at the Hungaroring, otherwise his points haul certainly fell short of expectations. Fourth place went to Bernardo Pellegrini (HT Powertrain), who narrowly won the duel against Francesco Galli (G Motorsport) with 109 points. Galli had won the first race at the finale in Mugello, but remained just behind Pellegrini in the final standings with 102 points. With 18 drivers from six nations, the Drexler Formula 3 Cup had a strong field. In addition, the new generation of vehicles from Dallara made its debut in the formula series with the Dallara F320. On the engine side, six different manufacturers from the Formula 3 scene were used.

Drexler-Automotive Formula 3 Trophy
The Formula 3 Trophy category had a record field this year with a total of 34 drivers. Drivers from eight nations were at the start. However, it should be noted that there were a majority of guest starters who competed in selected events. The season was very successful for Marcel Tobler (Jo Zeller Racing). The Swiss driver made a late start to the motorsport year, then shone with six race wins and scored 150 points. Second place went to Vaclav Safar (GT2 Motorsport), who secured the championship runner-up spot with 100 points with a double victory at the finale in Mugello. Just three points behind the Czech, Francesco Solfari (Facondini Racing) finished third in the final standings with 97 points. Luca Iannaccone (Franz Wöss Racing) was not rewarded at the end of the season. With 90 points, he finished fourth ahead of his compatriot Edoardo Bonanomi (Team Automobile Tricolore) with 69 points. As in the Formula 3 Cup category, the Dallara chassis was used in the Formula 3 Trophy classification. A total of seven different engine manufacturers were to be found in the Formula 3 field. It should also be noted that the Mercedes engine came out on top in both Formula 3 classifications.

Drexler-Automotive Formula Light Cup
As expected, the cars from Formula Renault 2.0 set the tone in the newly created Formula 3 Light Cup classification. Fabio Turchetto (A.S.D.Ruote Scoperte) snatched overall victory at the last minute at the finale in Mugello. With 138 points, he won the final standings ahead of defending champion Dr Norbert Groer (Team Hoffmann Racing), who scored 135.5 points. It should be noted that Dr Norbert Groer had to miss three race weekends at the start of the season and was late in the points battle. Stefano Palumieri finished third overall with 87 points, ahead of American Robert Siska (Franz Wöss Racing) with 77 points and Simone Padovani (Padovani Corse) with 63 points. With 13 Formula Renault 2.0 cars, the Formula Light category was well filled and featured drivers from six nations.
The Drexler Formula Cup was able to present itself extensively in the media. The live broadcasts by MS MotorTV in Italy, where Formula 3 plays a prominent role, should be mentioned here. We would also like to thank the journalists and photographers, as well as the editors of the print and online media. The Drexler Formula Cup was present in online media such as Autosport.at and motorline.cc (Austria), in Germany at motorsportxl, auto-rennsport de and Drexler automotive GmbH, as well as in the Austrian print media VOLLGAS and Motor-Freizeit & Trends and selected online media in the Czech Republic. Also worth mentioning is the TV presence on Eurosport as part of the FIA Zone Championship races. In social media, the presence on Facebook has increased enormously, which was implemented in a variety of ways by Dirk Hartung from autosport.at.

RS.06.11.2023
Press Automotive-Drexler Formula Cup