Press

At the final two race weekends, a highly-talented young driver will make his debut in the FIA Formula 2 Championship at the wheel for BWT HWA RACELAB. Théo Pourchaire (France) will take over driving duties in the number 17 car for the races in Sakhir (Bahrain) on 28th/29th November and 5th/6th December. The 17-year-old driver finished runner-up in this season's FIA Formula 3 Championship and - in spite of his young age - already boasts a remarkable collection of titles.  

• BWT HWA RACELAB to complete Formula 2 season with Formula 3 runner-up at the wheel
• Théo Pourchaire: "I can hardly wait to work with the team."
• Thomas Strick: "The success that Théo has already achieved speaks for itself."

Jake Hughes (Great Britain) impressed with a strong performance in his first race in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in Sochi. The British driver from the HWA RACELAB Formula 3 team finished 12th on Saturday, narrowly missing out on the points. Team-mate Artem Markelov (Russia) occupied the same position when Sunday's sprint race was red flagged before the finish.

• 12th place and DNF for Jake Hughes, 15th and 12th for Artem Markelov
• Artem Markelov: "The car felt much better in the two races here."
• Jake Hughes: "I am very happy with my performance in a car that is unfamiliar to me."
• Thomas Strick: "Jake totally paid back the faith we have put in him."

BWT HWA RACELAB changes the driver line-up for the FIA Formula 2 Championship races next weekend in Sochi, Russia. Jake Hughes (Great Britain) will join Artem Markelov (Russia) in the cockpit. The 26-year-old from the HWA RACELAB Formula 3 team replaces Giuliano Alesi (France), who is leaving the team.

• Home-grown driver from the Formula 3 team replaces Giuliano Alesi for Russian GP
• Jake Hughes: “I am really looking forward to my first races in Formula 2.”
• Thomas Strick: “This perfectly matches our philosophy of building up talented youngsters step by step.”

Jake Hughes (Great Britain) was runner-up in Saturday's race at the final round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship in Mugello, presenting HWA RACELAB with its fourth podium of the season. Team-mate Enzo Fittipaldi (Brazil) claimed his best results of the season, finishing fifth and fourth. Thanks to this impressive final weekend, the team from Affalterbach ended the season in fifth place in the Team competition.  

• 2nd and 6th place for Jake Hughes, 5th and 4th for Enzo Fittipaldi, 13th and 11th for Jack Doohan
• Jake Hughes: "Without the dramas in the early races, we could have challenged for the title."
• Enzo Fittipaldi: "I managed to end the season on a high."
• Jack Doohan: "We can take a lot of positive energy for next year from the last few races."
• Thomas Strick: "From our perspective, it is a shame that the season is not a little longer."

 BWT HWA RACELAB has made progress in terms of pace in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in Monza, but was unable to convert this into positive results. 12th place for Giuliano Alesi (France) on Sunday was the best result of the weekend.

• 17th and 16th place for Artem Markelov, 18th and 12th for Giuliano Alesi
• Artem Markelov: "It is important not to look at the results."
• Giuliano Alesi: "We were unable to show the progress we have made."
• Thomas Strick: "You cannot afford any mistakes if you want to finish in the points in Formula 2."