2026 Austria Formula Cup
The 2026 Austria Formula Cup is the 45th season of the Austria Formula Cup. It is the series' first season since 2012 to run without a title sponsorship, as the championship ran as the Remus F3 Cup from 2013 to 2018 and as the Drexler-Automotive Formula Cup from 2019 to 2025.[1]
The championship features a mix of professional and gentleman drivers, competing in both contemporary and earlier-generation Formula 3 cars as well as Formula Renault 2.0 machinery. The 2026 season is scheduled to be held over eight race weekends across Europe, beginning in April at the Red Bull Ring and concluding in October at Mugello Circuit.[2] The championship continues its cooperation with the F2000 Italian Formula Trophy, with the two series sharing grids and race slots for multiple rounds.
Jo Zeller Racing's Sandro Zeller defended his Formula 3 Cup title, now the overall championship title, with two weekends to spare, thereby claiming his ninth title in the highest class of the Austria Formula Cup.
Teams and drivers
The class system was restructured for the 2026 season: The Formula 3 Cup, previously a separate class, became the overall ranking and encompasses all cars entered, with entrants in the Formula 3 Trophy, Formula Regional and Formula Light Cup classes now collecting points both in the overall ranking and their separate classes.[3]
Formula 3 Cup-only entries
| Team | No. | Driver | Car | Engine | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Dallara F314 | Volkswagen | 1–2, 4–5 | ||
| 46 | Dallara F312 | Volkswagen | 2, 5 | ||
| 11 | Dallara F316 | Mercedes HWA | 1, 5 | ||
| 44 | Dallara F312 | Mercedes HWA | 1–2, 4–6 | ||
| 12 | Dallara F320 | Mercedes HWA | 1–2, 4–6 | ||
| Dallara F320 | Mercedes HWA | 3 | |||
| 14 | Dallara F314 | Mercedes HWA | 1–2, 4–5 | ||
| 18 | Dallara F314 | Volkswagen | 1–2, 4 | ||
| 20 | Dallara F320 | Mercedes HWA | 1–2, 4–5 | ||
| 41 | Dallara F312 | Volkswagen | 2, 4 | ||
| 49 | Dallara F317 | Volkswagen | 5 | ||
| 81 | Dallara F315 | Mercedes HWA | 1–3 | ||
| 146 | Tatuus Formula Master | Honda | 1, 5–6 | ||
| 777 | Dallara F393 | Toyota | 4 | ||
| Sources: [4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||||
Formula 3 Trophy entries
| Team | No. | Driver | Car | Engine | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Dallara F308 | FPT | 5 | ||
| 51 | Mygale F3 | FPT | 5 | ||
| 4 | Dallara F308 | Volkswagen | 2, 5 | ||
| 9 | Dallara F314 | Toyota | 1–3, 6 | ||
| 22 | Dallara F316 | Opel Spiess | 1–4, 6 | ||
| 6 | Dallara F308 | FPT | 2, 4 | ||
| 88 | Dallara F317 | Volkswagen | 4–5 | ||
| 7 | Dallara F308 | Toyota | 1–2, 5 | ||
| 10 | Dallara F308 | FPT | 1–3, 5–6 | ||
| 21 | Dallara F313 | Toyota | 2, 4–5 | ||
| Dallara F317 | Toyota | 6 | |||
| 42 | Dallara F317 | Toyota | 2, 4 | ||
| 27 | Dallara F300 | Fiat | 2, 4 | ||
| 28 | Dallara F308 | FPT | 4 | ||
| 79 | Dallara F308 | FPT | 5 | ||
| 33 | Dallara F310 | FPT | 5 | ||
| 75 | Dallara F308 | Volkswagen | 5 | ||
| 91 | Dallara F312 | Mercedes HWA | 1–3, 5–6 | ||
| 92 | Dallara F316 | Toyota | 1 | ||
| 140 | Dallara F303 | Opel Spiess | 1 | ||
| 911 | Dallara F310 | Opel Spiess | 6 | ||
| Sources: [4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||||
Formula Regional Class entries
| Team | No. | Driver | Car | Engine | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Tatuus F3 T-326 | Renault | 5 | ||
| 4 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Alfa Romeo | 4 | ||
| 3 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Alfa Romeo | 3 | ||
| 17 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Alfa Romeo | 2 | ||
| 122 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Alfa Romeo | 1–3, 6 | ||
| 8 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Alfa Romeo | 1, 5 | ||
| 37 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Renault | 1–2, 4–5 | ||
| 32 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Renault | 4 | ||
| 33 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Renault | 4 | ||
| 68 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Renault | 4–6 | ||
| 101 | Tatuus F3 T-318 | Renault | 1 | ||
| Sources: [4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||||
Formula Light Cup entries
| Team | No. | Driver | Car | Engine | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 717 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 6 | ||
| 9 | Tatuus F4 T-421 | Abarth | 2 | ||
| 125 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 3, 5 | ||
| 18 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 5 | ||
| 23 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 5 | ||
| 24 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 4 | ||
| Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 5 | |||
| 31 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 1–2, 5 | ||
| 50 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 4 | ||
| 59 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 2 | ||
| 65 | Tatuus F4 T-421 | Abarth | 6 | ||
| 66 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 1, 5 | ||
| 114 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 3–6 | ||
| 127 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 1 | ||
| 175 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 1–2, 6 | ||
| 181 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 1–2 | ||
| 127 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 6 | ||
| 133 | Tatuus FR2.0 | Renault | 1 | ||
| Sources: [4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||||
Race calendar
The 2026 calendar was announced on 15 January 2026.[1] After only holding seven events in 2025, the calendar grew back to eight events for 2026. The Red Bull Ring and the Vallelunga Circuit returned after one- and two-year absences, with the series is also scheduled to return to Automotodrom Grobnik for the first time since 2001. These rounds came at the expense of the Hockenheimring, which was not featured on the calendar for the first time since 2021, and the Misano World Circuit, which did not return after its debut in 2025.
| R. | Circuit | Date | Support bill | Map of circuit locations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | 11 April | F2000 Italian Formula Trophy Formula 4 CEZ Championship |
||
| R2 | 12 April | ||||
| 2 | SR | 25 April | Italian GT Championship Sprint Cup Italian Sport Prototype Championship | ||
| FR | 26 April | ||||
| 3 | R1 | 16 May | TCR Eastern Europe Touring Car Series GT Cup Series | ||
| R2 | 17 May | ||||
| 4 | SR | 4 July | Porsche Carrera Cup Italia GT4 Italian Series | ||
| FR | 5 July | ||||
| 5 | SR | 1 August | FX Racing Weekend Eurocup-3 Prototype Cup Europe | ||
| FR | 2 August | ||||
| 6 | R1 | 22 August | TCR Eastern Europe Touring Car Series GT Cup Series | ||
| R2 | 23 August | ||||
| 7 | R1 | 11–13 September | Formula 4 CEZ Championship GT Cup Series | ||
| R2 | |||||
| 8 | SR | 16–18 October | F2000 Italian Formula Trophy Italian National GT Challenge Mitjet Italia Racing Series | ||
| FR | |||||
Race results
| R. | Circuit | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | F3 Trophy winner | Formula Regional winner | Formula Light Cup winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | ||||||||
| R2 | |||||||||
| 2 | SR | ||||||||
| FR | |||||||||
| 3 | R1 | Grobnik |
|||||||
| R2 | |||||||||
| 4 | SR | ||||||||
| FR | |||||||||
| 5 | SR | ||||||||
| FR | |||||||||
| 6 | R1 | ||||||||
| R2 | |||||||||
| 7 | R1 | ||||||||
| R2 | |||||||||
| 8 | SR | ||||||||
| FR | |||||||||
Season report
The 2026 season of the newly-renamed Austria Formula Cup began at the Red Bull Ring with Jo Zeller Racing's Sandro Zeller taking pole position for both races. The first race saw Zeller win ahead of Puresport driver Andrea Benalli, with Michael Fischer taking third for Red Rose Racing by LRT. Zeller doubled down in race two by taking another victory to end the weekend with a perfect score in the lead of the standings. Benalli came second again, 14 points behind Zeller in the championship, as Nannini Racing's Marco Falci claimed third. ADAC Südbayern e.V. driver Nicolas Löffler, Red Rose Racing's Norbert Lenzenweger and privateer entry Sarene Ziffel ended the round leading the different subclasses.[10]
Round two at Imola saw Zeller take yet another pole position, but the first race began with Falci careering into him on the opening lap, eliminating both from the race. That left Benalli free to take victory ahead of Corbetta Racing's Riccardo Perego and Fischer. Zeller bounced back with a flawless performance throughout multiple safety car interruptions in race two. Benalli took second ahead of Fischer to end the weekend just a single point behind the Swiss in the overall standings. Löffler and Ziffel meanwhile both extended their lead in their respective subclasses, while pre-event Formula Regional leader Lenzenweger was absent, allowing Henry Morrogh's Matteo Zoccali to overtake him in their class.[11]
The series returned to Automotodrom Grobnik for the first time in 25 years for round three. Fischer was the only one of the pre-event top ten drivers to attend the event. He dominated the weekend by taking victory in both races, first in wet conditions on Saturday and then once again in the dry on Sunday. He thereby claimed the championship lead by 17 as Team Hoffmann Racing's André Petropoulos took second twice to rise to fourth in the overall standings and claim the lead in the F3 Trophy class. The leaders in Formula Regional and Formula Light were both absent as Team Hoffmann's Karlheinz Matzinger and Kermor's Vida Benedek took double class wins on their first outings of the seasons.[12]
The first half of the season concluded at Vallelunga Circuit. Zeller claimed yet another pole position, which placed him in eighth for the sprint race. He worked his way up the order, while a technical issue ended the race for his closest competitor Benalli. Zeller claimed the lead, with G Motorsport's Stig Larsen beating Franz Wöss Racing's Christof Ledermann to third place. The feature race proved way more straightforward for Zeller, as he was able to take an unchallenged victory to retake the points lead over the absent Fischer. Larsen claimed another second place, this time leading Facondini's Francesco Solfaroli, while Benalli lost further ground with a non-point finish as he was now 46 points behind Zeller.[13]
The Monza Circuit hosted round five, and Zeller's qualifying dominance continued with another pole position. The sprint race began with two big crashes after cars stalled at the start, leading to medical intervention and a red flag. After the restart, Zeller, who had fallen to 17th during the start, performed a remarkable climb through the order to recover to third behind teammate Kurt Böhlen and eventual winner Perego. The feature race was held in wet conditions, but Zeller controlled the race from the start throug a mid-race safety car to take an unchallenged victory. Benalli claimed second to draw level with the absent Fischer in the standings 65 points behind Zeller, while Böhlen completed the podium.[14]
Standings
Scoring system
For the race weekends held in conjunction with the F2000 Italian Formula Trophy, the shorter, first race of each weekend is designated the Sprint Race, where classified drivers score the following points:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 20 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
The second race of each weekend, the longer Feature Race, awards more points:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Points are awarded both in the overall classification and per class. If less than three cars enter in a class, half points are awarded for the race.[15] In the opening round as well as the other rounds held without the F2000 Italian Formula Trophy, both races are designated as feature races and award full points.
Drivers' standings
Formula 3 Cup overall standings
|
Italics – Fastest Lap † – Did not finish, but classified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sub-class standings
|
Italics – Fastest Lap † – Did not finish, but classified * – half points awarded as less than three cars entered the race | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teams' standings
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 261 | |
| 2 | 171 | |
| 3 | 135 | |
| 4 | 98 | |
| 5 | 92 | |
| 6 | 74 | |
| 7 | 66 | |
| 8 | 43 | |
| 9 | 27 | |
| 10 | 27 | |
| 11 | 26 | |
| 12 | 25 | |
| 13 | 22 | |
| 14 | 15 | |
| 15 | 12 | |
| 16 | 12 | |
| 17 | 10 | |
| 18 | 9 | |
| 19 | 7 | |
| 20 | 6 | |
| 21 | 6 | |
| 22 | 2 | |
| 23 | 2 | |
| 24 | 1 | |
| 25 | 0 | |
| 26 | 0 | |
| 27 | 0 | |
| 28 | 0 | |
| 29 | 0 | |
| 30 | 0 | |
| 31 | 0 | |
| 32 | 0 | |
| 33 | 0 | |
| 34 | 0 | |
| 35 | 0 | |
| 36 | 0 | |
| 37 | 0 | |
| 38 | 0 | |
| 39 | 0 | |
| Pos | Team | Pts |
References
- 1 2 "The formula series is kicking off its 14th season with a new name". www.drexler-formel-cup.com. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ↑ "Austria Formel Cup: Mit neuem Seriennamen in die 14. Saison" [Austria Formula Cup: Entering its 14th season with a new series name]. Motorsport XL (in German). 15 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ↑ "Austria Formel Cup - Wertungsbestimmungen 2026" [Austria Formula Cup - Scoring Regulations 2026] (PDF). Austria Formel Cup. 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "RED BULL RING 2026 ELENCO ISCRITTI - ENTRY LIST" (PDF). Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "TOPJET F2000 TROPHY - F2.0 CUP - DREXLER - IMOLA 2026 - ELENCO ISCRITTI - ENTRY LIST" (PDF). Austria F3 Cup. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Grand Prix of Croatia - AUSTRIA FORMEL CUP Grobnik 2026 - Entry List" (PDF). Austria Formula Cup. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "RACING WEEK-END AUSTRIA FORMEL CUP VALLELUNGA 2026 ELENCO ISCRITTI" (PDF). Austria Formula Cup. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "RACING WEEK-END TOPJET F2000 TROPHY - AUSTRIA FORMEL CUP MONZA 2026 ELENCO ISCRITTI - ENTRY LIST" (PDF). Austria Formula Cup. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Slovakiaring 2026 ENTRY LIST" (PDF). Austria Formula Cup. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ "Successful start to the Austria Formula Cup season". Austria Formula Cup. 14 April 2026. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ "Austria Formel Cup - Zeller and Benalli dominate an intense race weekend". Austria Formula Cup. 28 April 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Austria Formel Cup - Fischer dominates at Grobnik: One-two for the championship leader". Austria Formula Cup. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Zeller enjoys a strong weekend and takes the lead in the standings". Austria Formula Cup. 10 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Austria Formel Cup - Zeller extends his lead with a win and a comeback". Austria Formula Cup. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "Drexler Formel Cup Media Guide 2025" (PDF). Retrieved 9 November 2025.
External links
- Website of the Austria Formula Cup [German]
