HWA Team

History

HWA AG, founded in 1999, took its name from Hans-Werner Aufrecht, the same man who had founded AMG in 1967. The company was created after Aufrecht sold a majority stake in AMG to DaimlerChrysler AG near the end of 1998.

As part of that deal, the motorsport division and some custom vehicle construction operations were split off and moved to HWA. This new entity then took charge of running the AMG Mercedes team in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). Between 1998 and 1999, HWA built 20 examples of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Straßenversion, with an additional six roadster models later assembled from spare parts in 2002.

In May 2018, HWA announced it would join Formula E for the 2018-19 season, fielding reigning DTM champion Gary Paffett and former McLaren Formula One driver Stoffel Vandoorne. For the following season, Mercedes entered Formula E officially by taking over HWA’s entry and renaming it the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team.

Later in 2018, HWA was selected as one of ten teams for the inaugural season of the rebranded FIA Formula 3 Championship. In early 2019, it partnered with Arden International for the FIA Formula 2 Championship, and by October of that year, HWA announced it would take over Arden’s entry entirely for the 2020 season after Arden withdrew. The next month, HWA named incumbent Arden driver Artem Markelov as its first driver.

In October 2021, HWA confirmed it would leave the FIA Formula 3 Championship after three seasons, during which it achieved four wins and ten podiums. Its assets were purchased by Van Amersfoort Racing. For the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, HWA handled the research and development for the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C’s 3.0-liter single-turbo V6 engine. The car made its race debut at the season-opening 2024 Qatar 1812 km.

Did You Know?

• For the 2018-19 Formula E season, HWA fielded reigning DTM champion Gary Paffett and former McLaren F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne.
• HWA achieved four wins and ten podiums during its three-season FIA Formula 3 Championship tenure from 2018 to 2021.
• For the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, HWA provided R&D for the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C’s 3.0-liter single-turbo V6, which debuted at the 2024 Qatar 1812 km.