2023 Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup

The 2023 Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup was the 42nd Austria Formula 3 Cup season and the fifth season since Drexler-Automotive took over the title sponsoring of the series.[1]

The 2023 season was held over eight race weekends across Europe.[2] It started in March at Mugello Circuit and concluded in October at the same venue. The rounds at Mugello, Imola, Red Bull Ring and Spa had joint grids with the F2000 Italian Formula Trophy.

Benjámin Berta, driving for Franz Wöss Racing, claimed the Formula 3 Cup title. Marcel Tobler, driving for Jo Zeller Racing, won the Formula 3 Trophy title. Fabio Turchetto, driving for A.S.D. Ruote Scoperte M., won the Formula Light Cup.

Teams and drivers

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Teams and drivers competed in either Formula 3 or the Formula Light Cup. Formula 3 entries were divided between the Cup class and the Trophy class.[3]

Formula 3 Cup entries

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Team No. Driver Car Engine Rounds
  Franz Wöss Racing 1   Benjamin Berta Dallara F316 Mercedes All
19   Cian Carey Dallara F318 Mercedes 6
  Puresport 8   Dino Rasero Dallara 320 Mercedes 1–2, 4
12   Christof Ledermann Dallara F309 Volkswagen 4–5
14   Andrea Benalli Dallara F309 VW Spiess 1–2, 4–5, 8
  Noda Racing 10   Juju Noda Dallara 320 Spiess 1–2, 4–8
  Jo Zeller Racing 11   Kurt Böhlen Dallara F316 Mercedes 5–6, 8
44   Sandro Zeller Dallara F316 Mercedes All
  One Sport Performance 21   Alessandro Bracalente Dallara F317 Volkswagen 1
23   Marco Marotta Dallara F312 Volkswagen 5
  TVS Motorsport 23   Enzo Stentella Dallara 320 Mercedes 1–2, 4, 8
  Rennsport Wachter 24   Victor Smialek Dallara F308 Fiat 5–6, 8
  Bellspeed 27   Patrick Bellezza Dallara F300 Fiat 1–2, 5, 8
  Team Perego 46   Riccardo Perego Dallara F317 Volkswagen 1–2, 4–5, 8
  Magyar Racing Team   Janos Magyar Tatuus FM Honda 3–4, 7
  HT Powertrain 51   Bernardo Pellegrini Dallara 320 Mercedes 1–2, 4–5, 8
  Racing in Italy 75   Mei Shibi Dallara F308 Volkswagen 4–5, 8
  G Motorsport 131   Francesco Galli Dallara 320 Mercedes 1–2, 4–5, 8
Source:[4][5][6][7][8]

Formula 3 Trophy entries

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Team No. Driver Car Engine Rounds
  Jo Zeller Racing 2   Urs Rüttimann Dallara F306 Volkswagen 4–6
3   Marcel Tobler Dallara F308 Mercedes 2, 4–6
  Franz Wöss Racing 4   Thomas Amweg Dallara F309 Volkswagen 4
5   Thomas Aregger Dallara F309 Volkswagen 5
  Maximilian Malinowski 6
9   Luca Iannacone Dallara F308 Mercedes 1, 3–4, 7–8
95   Tom Beckhäuser Dallara F309 Volkswagen 3
98   Vaclav Safar Dallara F309 Volkswagen 7–8
  Team Hoffmann Racing 4   Robert Rowe Dallara F312 Toyota 5
  Danny Luderer 8
26   André Petropolus Dallara F316 Opel 6–7
  SAPE Motorsport 6   Vaclav Lausmann Dallara F317 Toyota 4, 6–7
  Facondini Racing   Enrico Milani Dallara F308 Fiat 2, 5
36   Francesco Solfaroli Dallara F317 Toyota 1–2, 5, 8
  Team Speed Center 7   Christian Zeller Dallara F312 Opel 5
12   Philipp Todtenhaupt Dallara F317 Toyota 5
180   Patrick Harmuth Dallara F308 Toyota 5
199   Thomas Zeltner Dallara F317 Toyota 5
  Team Tramonti Corse 11   Carmine Tancredi Dallara F308 Toyota 1–2
  Living KC 12   Umberto Vaglio Dallara F308 Toyota 2, 5
  Twister Italia 13   Sergio Terrini Dallara F308 Fiat 1–2, 4
  Neri Autosport 18   Jean-Luc Neri Dallara F311 Fiat 8
30   Sébastien Banchereau Dallara F308 Fiat 8
  BMG Racing 28   Giorgio Berto Dallara F308 Fiat 1–2
  Sud Motorsport 33   Salvatore Marinaro Dallara F310 Fiat 1–2, 8
85   Daniele Siano Dallara F308 Fiat 1
  Team Automobile Tricolore 39   Edoardo Bonanomi Dallara F312 Mercedes 1–2, 5
  Nannini Racing 42   Davide Pedetti Dallara Toyota 6, 8
81   Marco Falci Dallara F317 Toyota 1–2
  Giancarlo Pedetti 6, 8
  Chabr Motorsport 54   Tomáš Chabr Dallara F308 Mugen-Honda 8
  Racing in Italy 75   Mei Shibi Dallara F314 Toyota 6
  Emotion Motorsport 83   Daniele Radrizzani Dallara F317 Toyota 1–2
  VS Racing 99   Tim Buckley Dallara F302 Toyota 5
Source:[4][5][6][7][8]

Formula Light Cup entries

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Team No. Driver Car Engine Rounds
  Viola Formula Racing 2   Laurence Balestrini Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 4
  Team Hoffmann Racing 4   Robert Rowe Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 6
  Walter Steding Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 7
122   Dr. Norbert Groer Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 4–8
  Team Speed Center 8   Dennis Hübl Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 6
  Andreas Stamann 32   Andreas Stamann Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 5
  PLMRACING 29   Stefano Palummieri Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 4, 8
  A.S.D. Ruote Scoperte M. 34   Sergio Conti Tatuus F4-T014 Abarth 5, 8
79   Fabio Turchetto Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 1–2, 4, 8
  Padoviani Corse ASD 89   Simone Padoviani Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 2, 8
  Franz Wöss Racing 125   Robert Siska Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 2–3, 7
  Schwarze-Motorsport 163   Falk Schwarze Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 7
  Jo Zeller Racing 717   Stephan Glaser Tatuus FR2.0 Renault 7–8
Source:[4][5][6][7][8]

Race calendar

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The championship did not return to Vallelunga, but instead returned to Spa-Francorchamps after not visiting the circuit in 2022.[9]

R. RN Circuit Date Support bill Map of circuit locations
1 1   Mugello Circuit, Scarperia e San Piero 25 March F2000 Italian Formula Trophy
24H Series (12 Hours of Mugello)
2
2 1   Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola 22 April TCR Italian Series
Formula Regional European Championship
2 23 April
3 1   Hungaroring, Mogyoród 29 April ESET Cup Series
TCR Eastern Europe
2 30 April
4 1   Red Bull Ring, Spielberg 21 May ESET Cup Series
TCR Eastern Europe
2
5 1   Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 8 July Spa Summer Classics
Spa 3 Hours
2 9 July
6 1   Hockenheimring, Hockenheim 29 July Porsche Club Historic Challenge
P9 Challenge
2
7 1   Brno Circuit, Brno 9 September TCR Eastern Europe
BOSS GP Series
2 10 September
8 1   Mugello Circuit, Scarperia e San Piero 8 October BOSS GP Series
F2000 Italian Formula Trophy
2

Race results

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R. RN Circuit Pole position Fastest lap F3 Cup winner F3 Trophy winner Formula Light Cup winner
1 1   Mugello Circuit   Juju Noda   Francesco Galli   Benjamin Berta   Marco Falci   Fabio Turchetto
2   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Marco Falci   Fabio Turchetto
2 1   Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Edoardo Bonanomi   Fabio Turchetto
2   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Enrico Milani   Fabio Turchetto
3 1   Hungaroring   Sandro Zeller   Sandro Zeller   Sandro Zeller   Tom Beckhäuser   Robert Siska
2   Benjamin Berta   Sandro Zeller   Sandro Zeller   Tom Beckhäuser   Robert Siska
4 1   Red Bull Ring   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Marcel Tobler   Dr. Norbert Groer
2   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Benjamin Berta   Marcel Tobler   Stefano Palummieri
5 1   Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Marcel Tobler   Andreas Stamann
2   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Marcel Tobler   Dr. Norbert Groer
6 1   Hockenheimring   Juju Noda   Benjamin Berta   Kurt Böhlen   Marcel Tobler   Dennis Hübl
2   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Marcel Tobler   Robert Rowe
7 1   Brno Circuit   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Vaclav Safar   Dr. Norbert Groer
2   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Vaclav Safar   Walter Steding
8 1   Mugello Circuit   Francesco Galli   Juju Noda   Francesco Galli   Vaclav Safar   Stefano Palummieri
2   Francesco Galli   Juju Noda   Juju Noda   Vaclav Safar   Stefano Palummieri

Season report

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First half

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The season began in March at Mugello Circuit with a 34-car grid together with the F2000 Italian Formula Trophy. Noda Racing's Juju Noda took pole position for both races. She had to concede the win of the first race to Franz Wöss Racing's Benjamin Berta, as she finished third behind the Hungarian and Jo Zeller Racing's Sandro Zeller. She turned her luck around later in the day, to claim the win in race two, ahead of HT Powertrain's Bernardo Pellegrini and Zeller. The F3 Trophy was dominated by Nannini Racing's Marco Falci, who took both race wins. The Formula Light Cup saw only a single car entered into the races: Fabio Turchetto, driving for A.S.D. Ruote Scoperte M., therefore won both races.[10]

The second round at Imola was also held in conjunction with the Italian F2000 series. This time, Berta was the man to beat in qualifying as he took two pole positions. He took two largely unchallenged victories to claim the championship lead. The first race had its podium completed by Pellegrini and Noda, while the latter had to fight through from the back of the grid in race two. That race saw Zeller return to the podium, ahead of Pellegrini. Team Automobile Tricolore's Edoardo Bonanomi and Facondini Racing's Enrico Milani shared the wins in the F3 Trophy class, while standings leader Falci was unable to finish both races. Three cars entered the Formula Light Cup, but Turchetto remained unbeaten.[11]

Only eight cars were present for the third round at the Hungaroring. Zeller and Berta shared pole positions, but Zeller was the better man in both races, winning from pole position in race one and fighting past Berta to take the win in race two. Magyar Racing Team's Janos Magyar completed both podiums as the only other F3 Cup entrant, as Zeller closed up to Berta and moved past the absent Noda in the standings. Franz Wöss Racing's Tom Beckhäuser won both F3 Trophy races, ahead of his teammate Luca Iannacone. The Formula Light Cup saw a new winner, as Turchetto was absent and Franz Wöss Racing's Robert Siska won both races as the only entrant in the class.[12]

The first half of the season ended at Spielberg. Noda was back in action, but Berta was in his best form, dominating qualifying and taking both race wins to extend his championship advantage. Noda came second in race one, but was unable to finish race two. Zeller was also right in the mix, completing the podium in race one and finishing second ahead of G Motorsport's Francesco Galli in race two. Jo Zeller Racing's Marcel Tobler sweeped the weekend in the F3 Trophy class, while four cars battled for Formula Light Cup honors. Team Hoffmann Racing's Dr. Norbert Groer and PLMRACING's Stefano Palummieri shared the wins, while Turchetto solidified his points lead with two podiums.[13]

Second half

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30 cars entered the event at Spa, where Noda set out to reduce her points deficit to the leader. She did so in style, claiming both pole positions and winning both races in her class. Berta minimized the damage to his championship lead with two second places, while Zeller and Galli completed the two podiums. Tobler extended his winning run to four races in the F3 Trophy class. Groer also continued his efforts to catch up to Formula Light Cup leader Turchetto, taking a win and a second place in absence of the latter. privateer entry Andreas Stamann took the other win, but did not enter race two, so Groer had to be content with half points for his win.[14]

The sixth round at the Hockenheimring was another one without the Italian F2000, so only 16 cars entered. The weekend began in tricky wet conditions, with Noda coping the best in qualifying to claim double pole positions, before all three championship contenders had to concede race one victory to Jo Zeller Racing's Kurt Böhlen. Race two however saw the familiar trio back on top, with Noda ahead of Zeller and Berta. The F3 Trophy class still saw no different winners, with Tobler sweeping his third weekend. Groer had to take a hit in his Formula Light Cup catch-up efforts, as he was unable to start both races which were won by Speed Center's Dennis Hübl and Team Hoffmann's Robert Rowe.[15]

Brno Circuit hosted the penultimate round, and only four cars entered the Formula 3 Cup. Berta had a chance to clinch the championship, but Noda was unbeaten all weekend to keep the fight alive. Both races saw the same podium, Noda ahead of Berta and Zeller. Tobler was absent, so his F3 Trophy winning streak ended in favor of Franz Wöss Racing's Vaclav Safar, who took victory in both races. Groer claimed another Formula Light Cup win, but only came fifth in the second race. Team Hoffmann Racing's Walter Steding won the other race. Leader Turchetto had now been absent for four weekends running, and Groer was now in striking distance to take the title.[16]

The championship concluded right where it began, at Mugello Circuit. Noda and Berta were in close competition for the title, but had to concede the first race to Galli, with Berta coming second ahead of Noda. This three-point advantage was enough to earn Berta the championship. Noda won the second race but had no way of overhauling the Hungarian's points tally. Tobler was crowned F3 Trophy champion in absence - Safar won two more races, but Toblers six-race win streak was too much to overcome. The Formula Lighty Trophy ended in very close fashion: Palummieri won both races, but the returning leader Turchetto earned just enough points to win the title, 2.5 points ahead of Groer.[17]

High entry fluctuation meant that only the F3 Cup had a real continuous championship fight, with the other classes either having no fight at all or a fight being decided by drivers being absent or not. Noda was the strongest driver in the second half of the season, but missing the round at Hungaroring really hurt her campaign. Zeller, who had won the title the last seven seasons running, lacked pace to keep up with the leading pair on most occasions.

Standings

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Scoring system

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Points were awarded per class. If less than three cars entered in a class, half points were awarded for the race.

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th 
Points 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1

Drivers' championship

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Formula 3 Cup Standings

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Pos Driver MUG1
 
IMO
 
HUN
 
RBR
 
SPA
 
HOC
 
BRN
 
MUG2
 
Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1   Benjamin Berta 1 5 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 3 306
2   Juju Noda 3 1 3 4 2 Ret 1 1 4 1 1 1 3 1 262
3   Sandro Zeller 2 3 4 2 1 1 3 2 4 3 2 2 3 3 5 5 259
4   Bernardo Pellegrini 9 2 2 3 4 Ret 6 4 4 4 109
5   Francesco Galli 11 4 5 9 8 3 5 7 1 2 102
6   Janos Magyar 3 3 7 6 4 4 68
7   Riccardo Perego 5 8 7 5 Ret 4 9 9 7 7 58
8   Kurt Böhlen 8 6 1 4 6 Ret 57
9   Andrea Benalli 7 10 8 6 Ret 5 8 4 8 6 51
10   Dino Rasero 6 7 6 Ret Ret 7 28
11   Enzo Stentella 8 9 10 8 6 9 10 8 26
12   Cian Carey 3 5 25
13   Alessandro Bracalente 4 6 20
14   Mei Shibi 5 Ret 11 12 9 10 13
15   Victor Smialek 13 14 Ret 5 11 9 12
16   Patrick Bellezza 10 11 9 7 12 11 12 11 9
17   Christof Ledermann Ret 8 14 13 4
18   Marco Marotta 10 10 2
Pos Driver R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 Pts
MUG1
 
IMO
 
HUN
 
RBR
 
SPA
 
HOC
 
BRN
 
MUG2
 
  • * - half points awarded as less than three cars entered the race

Formula 3 Trophy standings

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Pos Driver MUG1
 
IMO
 
HUN
 
RBR
 
SPA
 
HOC
 
BRN
 
MUG2
 
Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1   Marcel Tobler Ret Ret 1 1 1 1 1 1 150
2   Vaclav Safar 1 1 1 1 100
3   Francesco Solfaroli 9 2 3 4 3 3 6 4 97
4   Luca Iannacone 5 8 2* 2* 5 4 3 3 9 8 90
5   Edoardo Bonanomi 7 4 1 2 5 Ret 69
6   André Petropolus 3 5 2 2 61
7   Urs Rüttimann 3 Ret 4 4 6 3 60
8   Marco Falci 1 1 Ret DNS 50
9   Carmine Tancredi 3 7 4 3 48
10   Vaclav Lausmann 4 3 Ret 7 Ret 4 45
11   Daniele Radrizzani 8 5 2 5 42
12   Enrico Milani Ret 1 4 10 38
=13   Thomas Amweg 2 2 36
=13   Thomas Aregger 2 2 36
=13   Maximilian Malinowski 2 2 36
16   Salvatore Marinaro 6 9 5 8 4 Ret 36
=17   Danny Luderer 2 3 33
=17   Davide Pedetti Ret Ret 3 2 33
19   Giancarlo Pedetti 4 6 8 6 32
20   Daniele Siano 2 6 26
21   Umberto Vaglio 6 6 Ret 5 26
22   Tom Beckhäuser 1* 1* 25
23   Giorgio Berto 4 10 8 7 23
24   Sergio Terrini 10 3 7 DNS Ret DNS 22
25   Mei Shibi 5 4 22
26   Sébastien Banchereau 5 5 20
27   Christian Zeller 7 6 14
28   Tomáš Chabr 7 9 8
=29   Thomas Zeltner 10 7 7
=29   Jean-Luc Neri 10 7 7
31   Patrick Harmuth 9 8 6
32   Tim Buckley 8 Ret 4
33   Philipp Todtenhaupt 11 9 2
34   Robert Rowe Ret 11 0
Pos Driver R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 Pts
MUG1
 
IMO
 
HUN
 
RBR
 
SPA
 
HOC
 
BRN
 
MUG2
 

* - half points awarded as less than three cars entered the race

Formula Light Cup standings

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Pos Driver MUG1
 
IMO
 
HUN
 
RBR
 
SPA
 
HOC
 
BRN
 
MUG2
 
Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1   Fabio Turchetto 1* 1* 1 1 3 2 4 2 138
2   Dr. Norbert Groer 1 4 2 1* Ret DNS 1 5 2 3 135.5
3   Stefano Palummieri 4 1 1 1 87
4   Robert Siska 3 3 1* 1* 5 4 77
5   Simone Padoviani 2 2 3 4 63
6   Walter Steding 2 1 43
7   Sergio Conti 3 2* 5 6 42
8   Stephan Glaser 4 2 Ret 5 40
9   Dennis Hübl 1 2* 34
10   Laurence Balestrini 2 3 33
11   Robert Rowe 2 1* 30.5
12   Falk Schwarze 3 3 30
13   Andreas Stamann 1 WD 25
Pos Driver R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 Pts
MUG1
 
IMO
 
HUN
 
RBR
 
SPA
 
HOC
 
BRN
 
MUG2
 

* - half points awarded as less than three cars entered the race

References

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  1. ^ "Drexler Formel Cup - Drexler Automotive". www.drexler-automotive.com. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  2. ^ Pokale, A. F. R. "Drexler Formel Cup". www.drexler-formel-cup.com (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  3. ^ "Announcement for Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup 2022" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b c "RACING WEEK-END - ZINOX F2000 TROPHY - F2.0 CUP - DREXLER - MUGELLO 2023 - ELENCO ISCRITTI - ENTRY LIST" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b c "Drexler Formel Cup - Ergebnisse 2023" (PDF).
  6. ^ a b c "2023 Starterliste AFR Pokale Imola" (PDF).
  7. ^ a b c "LAPTIMING KUPA - FIA CEZ Circuit Racing Championship & MNASZ Autós Gyorsasági és Endurance OB - Race 1 - OFFICIAL FINAL RESULT - Overall" (PDF).
  8. ^ a b c "Wertung: Drexler Automotive F3 Cup" (PDF).
  9. ^ Pokale, A. F. R. "Top-class schedule for this season". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  10. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (27 March 2023). "Benjamin Berta and Juju Noda win at season opener". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  11. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (25 April 2023). "First double victory for Benjamin Berta (HUN)". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  12. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (3 May 2023). "Sandro Zeller wins duel against Benjamin Berta". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  13. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (23 May 2023). "Second double victory for Benjamin Berta (HUN)". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  14. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (11 July 2023). "Juju Noda celebrates first double victory". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  15. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (31 July 2023). "After Swiss triple victory Juju Noda strikes back". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  16. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (13 September 2023). "Juju Noda keeps the championship open". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  17. ^ Press Drexler Formula Cup (11 October 2023). "Benjamin Berta (Franz Wöss Racing) crowned champion in Tuscany". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
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