HWA RACELAB makes successful start to new era at the official Formula 3 tests

For the past two days, HWA AG has taken on a new challenge at Circuit Paul Ricard in France: The HWA RACELAB team attended the first official tests ahead of the new, international 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship.

  • Drivers Bent Viscaal, Jake Hughes and Keyvan Andres complete 249 laps
  • Jake Hughes clocks fourth fastest time of the session on Thursday afternoon
  • Thomas Strick: "We are pleased to be part of this exciting series."

Le Castellet, 21st March 2019 – When Bent Viscaal (NED) pulled out of the pit lane at Circuit Paul Ricard in his black No. 10 race car on Wednesday morning, it heralded a new chapter in the successful motorsport history of HWA AG. The Affalterbach-based company's racing team, HWA RACELAB, is competing in this season's FIA Formula 3 Championship. The new series, aimed at effectively developing young drivers, kicked off with a two-day test in France.

Blessed with perfect weather conditions, drivers Bent Viscaal, Jake Hughes (GBR) and Keyvan Andres (IRN) completed 249 laps in total on Wednesday and Thursday. Hughes set the fourth fastest time of the entire field in Thursday afternoon's session. The team gained valuable experience on both days, which will be useful during preparations for the racing season.

More tests are scheduled for 9th to 10th April in Barcelona and 17th to 18th April at the Hungaroring, before the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship gets underway with the opening round in Barcelona on 11th May. HWA RACELAB is one of ten teams. Each team lines up with three cars. Featuring on the support programme to the Formula 1 World Championship, a total of 16 races will be held over the course of eight weekends.

Thomas Strick, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"They have been very valuable days for us here in France. We have learned a lot about the general properties of the cars. Tests like these are particularly important for our young drivers, as they allow them to develop a feel for the car and racetrack. Happily, we have another two official tests in April, at which we can make more progress. We obviously still have a lot of work ahead of us over the coming weeks. But we are pleased to be part of this exciting new series and are looking forward to the start of the season

Results of the tests in Le Castellet:

Wednesday morning:
1. Christian Lundgaard   ART Grand Prix         1:49.685
20. Bent Viscaal              HWA RACELAB        1:51.944
29. Keyvan Andres          HWA RACELAB        1:54.357
30. Jake Hughes             HWA RACELAB        2:21.077

Wednesday afternoon:
1. Marcus Armstrong      PREMA Racing         1:49.243
26. Bent Viscaal              HWA RACELAB        1:51.244
28. Keyvan Andres          HWA RACELAB        1:51.741
DNS Jake Hughes           HWA RACELAB        DNS

Thursday morning:
1. Christian Lundgaard    ART Grand Prix        1:48.786
9. Jake Hughes                HWA RACELAB       1:49.206
18. Bent Viscaal               HWA RACELAB       1:49.60629 
29. Keyvan Andres           HWA RACELAB       1:50.773 

Thursday afternoon:
1. Yuki Tsunoda               Jenzer Motorsport    1:49.301
4. Jake Hughes                HWA RACELAB       1:49.572
8. Bent Viscaal                 HWA RACELAB       1:49.931
26. Keyvan Andres           HWA RACELAB       1:51.410

 

About HWA AG
HWA AG is an independent, 360° engineering specialist in the fields of automobile racing and high-performance cars. Formed in 1998 by Hans Werner Aufrecht, the company is based in Affalterbach (Germany) and employs roughly 300 highly-qualified members of staff. HWA AG offers all its products and services under the motto ENGINEERING SPEED: The company’s objective is to develop the best possible, high-quality solutions, in order to get its partners and customers to their destination quicker. The portfolio of services ranges from designing all vehicle components to assembling complete cars, together with the relevant logistics, after-sales and support services.

About HWA RACELAB
HWA RACELAB is HWA AG’s operations team in motorsport. It brings together experienced specialists in high-quality race engineering and the associated services, in pursuit of success on the motorsport scene. HWA RACELAB will enter Formula E as a new team in the 2018/19 season, adding a future-oriented string to HWA’s wealth of racetrack expertise. Furthermore, HWA RACELAB will race in the new, international FIA Formula 3 championship in 2019. With eleven Drivers’ titles and over 180 race wins as a works team for Mercedes-AMG in the DTM, the company is one of the most successful players in international motorsport. HWA RACELAB also draws on the company’s other core areas of expertise, such as the development, assembly and running of GT cars for customer racing, as well as the assembly of Formula 3 race engines.

 

Volker Glaser
Investor Relations/ Presse

tel:         + 49 (0) 7144 8717- 279
fax:        + 49 (0) 7144 8718- 111
email:   presse@hwaag.com

 

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