Joshua Dufek will test his mettle in a third different F3 category this weekend — and his second in as many weekends — as he joins the CryptoTower Racing team for round five of the 2023 EuroFormula Open series at the Red Bull Ring.
The Swiss ace, fresh from a promising debut in the FIA F3 series at Monza, will join the Team Motopark-run CryptoTower operation for the event in Austria, keen to gain further F3 experience but also test himself against championship regulars and contenders, many of whom will come from the same garage as Motopark again challenges for overall honours. The Red Bull Ring will be no stranger to Josh, who has raced there every season since graduating to international F4 competition, but the Dallara 320-Volkswagen will provide another challenge to his ability to adapt after racing different machinery in both the Formula Regional Europe by Alpine (FRECA) and FIA F3 series in 2023.
The EuroFormula Open series evolved from the Spanish F3 and European F3 Open championships to become a staple on the third rung of the ladder that leads, ultimately, to F1. While Motopark and CryptoTower Racing have largely dominated in terms of championship titles, no small number of drivers have used the series as a springboard towards the top flight, including Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda and, most recently, Liam Lawson, while Alex Palou, Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood all passed though on their way to the IndyCar Series in America.
"I’m extremely happy to be joining Team Motorpark and CryptoTower Racing for this weekend's EuroFormula Open round, and I'm eager to hit the track in just a few days," Josh enthused. "The team has proven itself to be constantly very competitive and it’ll be good to learn from them as well as show them what I can do. Hopefully, we can bring home some silverware in the process!"
Josh's deal with CryptoTower Racing is the latest brokered on his behalf by Peak Performance Management, run by former GP3 rivals Kevin Korjus and Matt Parry.
"With one eye on where Josh might be racing next season, we think that joining the EuroFormula Open series this weekend in Austria is the best way to make sure we are fully prepared for 2024," Korjus commented. "EFO might not have the same size of field that Josh faced at Monza last weekend, but it's just as hotly contested and we hope that he will be right in the mix at the Red Bull Ring."
Round five of the 2023 EuroFormula Open series takes place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria this weekend (8-10 September).
