Benjamin Berta: After setting a qualifying record, he secured his second double victory of the season

Drexler Formula Cup – Automotodrom Brno (CZE)

Benjamin Berta (Franz Wöss Racing) is the new Formula 3 record holder on the MotoGP track in Brno. The Hungarian confirmed the predictions in the second qualifying session that the new asphalt would allow faster lap times. He set a record time of 1:48.117 minutes on the track. This improved the previous qualifying record (1:50.619 min) set by Alexandre Premat in the Formula 3 Euro Series, which was held as part of the DTM in 2004, by 2.502 seconds. This spurred Berta on for the first race, which he dominated completely.  The Formula field initially started behind the safety car for two laps. Heavy rain had fallen over Brno during the night and the damp patches on the track remained until Saturday morning. At the start, Berta gained a small lead over Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing). Behind Zeller was Kurt Böhlen, who kept Andrea Benalli (PURESPORT) and local hero Vaclav Safar (GT2 Motorsport) at bay. By the halfway point of the 25-minute race, the outcome was clear in Benjamin Berta's favour. Driving his Dallara F320, the Hungarian won with a comfortable eight-second lead over Sandro Zeller and Kurt Böhlen in third place.

The battles for position in the Formula 3 Trophy were more exciting. Lee Cunningham (Jo Zeller Racing) managed to shake off his pursuers Andre Petropoulos (Team Hoffmann Racing) and Oliver Kratsch (Facondini Racing) in the last third of the race to claim his second victory of the season. Co-favourite Marcel Tobler (Jo Zeller Racing) missed out on the podium, finishing fourth. Michael Fischer (LRT) was the man to beat in the Formula Light category. He won the Formula Renault ahead of his team-mate Alexander Fritz and French driver Sarene Ziffel. ‘I had a great start and was able to pull away from Zeller in the first two laps,’ said Berta at the finish. Sandro Zeller emphasised the somewhat complicated start phase in his statement. ‘It wasn't easy due to traces of moisture on the track. We'll wait and see what tomorrow brings,’ said the Swiss Formula 3 veteran. In the second qualifying session on Sunday morning, Benjamin Berta once again made sure of his position and secured his second pole position in record time. Sandro Zeller also drove a fabulous time (1:49.942 min), but it was only enough for second place on the grid.

When the lights turned green for the second race at midday, Benjamin Berta took the lead and was first into turn 1. Zeller remained in second place and had to fend off attacks from Vaclav Safar, who kept Kurt Böhlen and Andrea Benalli behind him. When Enrico Milani (Facondini Motorsport) parked his Dallara F308 in the gravel trap, a safety car phase followed. After this, Berta remained in the lead and increased his advantage to celebrate his second double victory in Brno after 12 laps. While Sandro Zeller kept the Czech Vaclav Safar at bay, Kurt Böhlen lost fourth place. Andrea Benalli overtook the Swiss driver. In the final minutes, it would have been close for Vaclav Safar, who managed to hold on to third place, a good two seconds ahead of the Italian. Andre Petropoulos retained the upper hand in the Formula 3 Trophy. He won ahead of Oliver Kratsch and Lee Cunningham after several close battles. Fourth place went to Marcel Tobler, who had hoped for more in Brno. Michael Fischer secured his second victory in the Formula Light category. In his sixth race in the Drexler Formula Cup, the Austrian from LRT Racing put in a convincing performance and was clearly superior to the competition. His teammate Alexander Fritz had to give way to Sarene Ziffel in the second race, who was classified in second place. Christof Ledermann (PURESPORT) won both races in the Formula Regional class ahead of Luca Iannaccone (Neri Autosport).

RS.07.09.2025

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