Zeller and Berta at the front at the season opener

Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup-Monza

Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) and Benjamin Berta (Franz Wöss Racing) have not forgotten how to win. At the season opener in Monza, Italy, it was the Swiss driver who came out on top in the first race thanks to his experience. The competition behind him was led by defending champion Benjamin Berta. Berta had secured the fastest lap in qualifying at Monza with a 1m 46.266s. Due to the fact that the first four rows of the grid were sent out in reverse starting order, Frenchman Jeremy Clavaud in the Formula Regional initially took the lead. It took less than two laps for the Formula 3 squad with Ricardo Perego (Corbetta Racing), Sandro Zeller and Benjamin Berta, followed by Kurt Böhlen (Jo Zeller Racing) and Dino Rasero (Puresport) to take the lead of the field. Perego had to concede his 1st place to Sandro Zeller early on. Berta then caught up with Zeller, while Perego ruined his chances of victory with a spin.

Benjamin Berta put all his eggs in one basket in the second half of the race and tried to put Sandro Zeller in danger from the slipstream on the long start straight. However, these manoeuvres failed. Berta risked a lot and had to take the emergency exit in the chicane after braking. Zeller kept his cool and defended his lead to the finish, distancing Berta by 1.837 seconds. Andrea Benalli (Puresport) narrowly retained the upper hand over Kurt Böhlen for third place and secured third place in the opening race. The Dane Stig Larsen (Franz Wöss Racing) put in a fantastic race to catch up. He started the race from twelfth on the grid and moved up to fifth place. ‘It wasn't easy to keep Benjamin behind me. We weren't fast enough, but we still managed it,’ said Sandro Zeller. Benjamin Berta was self-critical at the finish line: ‘I made a few small mistakes that prevented me from effectively attacking Sandro,’ summarised Berta, who had high hopes for the second race from pole position. And that's exactly how Berta tackled the race on Sunday.

Due to a rain shower in the midday hours, the field started behind the safety car over the 30-minute distance. Berta took the lead and kept Sandro Zeller behind him. Riccardo Perego got off to a very good start and moved into third position ahead of Kurt Böhlen and Andrea Benalli. This order was not to change. However, the now almost dry track was of little use to Peregio. He parked his F3 Dallara ten minutes before the end due to engine problems. The car came to a halt at the side of the track directly on the carriageway, triggering a safety car phase. Five minutes before the end of the race, Benjamin Berta produced a fantastic restart. The Hungarian remained in the lead ahead of Sandro Zeller, while Andrea Benalli spun before the start straight and had to let the entire field past. The race was now over until the finish. Berta won by 2.650 seconds ahead of Sandro Zeller. Kurt Böhlen completed the great result for the Swiss with third place. Jeremy Clavaud confirmed his presentable result from the previous day with his Formula Regional and finished fourth overall. Portuguese driver Luis Aguiar took a completely surprising fifth place overall in his Formula Renault. This made him a double winner in the Formula Light category for the weekend, like Clavaud in Formula Regional. ‘The first part of the race was quite tricky. When the track started to dry out, I was able to pick up the pace and keep Sandro behind me,’ said Berta, who took over the lead of the standings after the season opener in Monza. 

RS.13.04.2025