Facts and figures for the 2024 season

Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup

‘After the finale in Monza, we can draw a positive conclusion to this year's season. The championship was wide open right up to the final and the champion Benjamin Berta was only able to finalise everything in the penultimate race. Our thanks go to the participants and teams, as well as the sponsors and supporters of our formula series, which continues to attract international attention in Europe,’ says coordinator Franz Wöss. The major goal of continuing to give Formula 3 a platform has been fully realised. To emphasise this fact, the cooperation with the ZINOX F2000 Trophy from Italy should be highlighted. Both series are a guarantee for exciting formula racing. With this sporting focus, the Drexler Formula Cup will also be well positioned in 2025. Of the eight race weekends held, five took place on Formula 1 circuits alone. ‘We should also have this aspiration on the agenda for 2025. The Formula 1 circuits are a special challenge for the Formula 3 drivers,’ says Franz Wöss.

Drexler Formula 3 Cup

Benjamin Berta (Franz Wöss Racing) defended his title in the Formula 3 Cup. He once again managed to complete a consistent season, although the title fight was wide open right up to the final. The Hungarian finished on the podium fourteen times and took seven race wins. Berta underlined his successful year with 310 points. Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) was certainly responsible for keeping things exciting right to the end. The Swiss driver delivered everything with his routine and provided surprises and pinpricks against the competition.  Like Berta, Zeller finished on the podium a total of fourteen times and took four race wins with a total of 269 points. Victor Smialek (Franz Wöss Racing) can certainly be described as the rising star of the year. The Canadian climbed to third place overall with 235 points in his first Formula 3 season. He achieved eleven podium finishes and celebrated his first Formula 3 season win at Hockenheim. Fourth place went to Francesco Galli (G Motorsport) with 164 points. The Italian made a furious start to the season with three race wins in a row. He finished on the podium a total of six times and won four races. At the Red Bull Ring and in Imola, Galli suffered two setbacks with a zero result, which set him back.  In fifth place in Formula 3 is the Dane Stig Larsen (Franz Wöss Racing). Larsen did not finish on the podium in any of the races. However, he managed to finish in the points, which he did eleven times and helped him to 88 points in the overall standings. With a total of 24 cars, the Formula 3 Cup had a strong field. The drivers came from nine different countries. In terms of numbers, Italy was the most strongly represented. Eight drivers put their trust in the new generation of cars from Dallara, the Dallara F320. Five different manufacturers were represented on the engine side, with Mercedes and Volkswagen power units dominating.

Drexler Formula 3 Trophy

The Formula 3 Trophy category was well filled this year with a total of 20 drivers. Drivers from four nations were at the start. The season was successful for defending champion Marcel Tobler (Jo Zeller Racing). The Swiss driver started the motorsport year late and only began the season with the race at the Red Bull Ring. Here he celebrated a double victory and followed this up with another race win in Imola. In total, he achieved eight podium finishes and won six races. With 186 points, Tobler was already the old and new Formula 3 Trophy champion before the finale in Monza. Andre Petropoulos (Team Hoffmann Racing) had a successful debut season in Formula 3, finishing with 134 points. He climbed onto the podium six times and celebrated his first race wins at the Lausitzring and in Brno. Francesco Solfaroli (Facondini Racing) made an impressive start to the season with a double victory in Vallelunga and appeared to be a great rival to Marcel Tobler. Initially, the duel was on an equal footing. When Solfaroli missed four races from the Lausitzring onwards, the gap to the Swiss driver could no longer be closed and Solfaroli remained in third place with 126 points. His compatriot Edoardo Bonanomi (Team Automobile Tricoloe) scored 122 points in the final standings and ended the season in Monza with a race win. He finished on the podium a total of five times. Luca Iannaccone (Team Hoffmann Racing) scored points in seven races and finished on the podium at the Lausitzring and in Brno. With 87 points, he finished fifth ahead of Urs Rüttimann (Jo Zeller Racing), who was just one point behind Iannaccone with 86 points. In the Formula 3 Trophy classification, all teams used the Dallara chassis. A total of five different engine manufacturers were to be found in the Formula 3 field. It should be noted that the Mercedes engine came out on top in both Formula 3 classifications (Formula 3 Cup and Formula 3 Trophy).

Drexler Formula Light Cup

As expected, the cars from Formula Renault 2.0 set the tone in the Formula Light Cup in 2024. With a total of 24 participants, this category was really well filled. Emir Tanju (Viola Formula Racing) secured overall victory at the last minute with 168 points. The Turk still had to fight for his title and was lucky that Karim Sartori (Speed Motor) did not score any points in the last race of the season and therefore finished runner-up with 164 points, just behind Tanju. Dr Norbert Groer (Team Hoffmann Racing) started a brilliant race to catch up in the second half of the season, which was rewarded with third place and 125 points. Valentin Andrieux (Viola Racing Team) finished fourth with 116 points. The Frenchman celebrated a double victory at the finale in Monza. The Drexler Formula Light Cup featured drivers from six nations.

New homepage for the Drexler Formula Cup

The Drexler Formula Cup has been able to present itself extensively in the media. First and foremost, the newly designed homepage should be mentioned, which has been completely revised with the support of Wolfgang Neumayer and Matthias Rost and has a modern design. Wolfgang Neumayer has also taken over the maintenance of the homepage. All information and results have been updated. The Media Guide is brand new and will be available in its eighth version after the finale in Monza. In addition, the live broadcasts from MS MotorTV in Italy, where Formula 3 plays a prominent role, are also worth mentioning this season. Thanks to the journalists and photographers, as well as the editors of the print and online editorial offices. The Drexler Formula Cup was present in online media such as motorline.cc (Austria), in Germany at motorsport xl, auto-rennsport de and Drexler automotive GmbH, as well as in the Austrian print media VOLLGAS and Motor-Freizeit & Trends and online media in Italy and the Czech Republic. Also worth mentioning is the TV presence on Eurosport as part of the FIA Zone Championship races. In the social media, the presence on Facebook has been further strengthened. This was extensively supported by Drexler Automotive GmbH.

RS.18.10.2024

Press Drexler Formula Cup