FIRST STEPS FOR A RACING POWERHOUSE
Of all the new teams that have come on board in F3 for 2019 thanks to the Gp3/european F3 merger, arguably the most interesting is HWA.
A team that has competed in DTM with Mercedes for years, it’s recently moved into single-seaters, running Mercedes’ Formula E programme before the marque enters under its own name next season.
This year marks its first foray into junior singleseaters with its own team, and its performance on track will be intriguing. It has signed Jake Hughes, who contested last year’s GP3 Series with ART, and engineer Christophe Boittin – who steered Anthoine Hubert to the GP3 title – to lead its charge. Alongside Keyvan Andres and Bent Viscaal, Hughes is undoubtedly team leader.
He finished eighth in GP3 in 2018 after struggling to work the Pirelli tyres. But he is as motivated as anyone to help HWA reach the front, as its presence in other series could open doors for him. “There’s a lot on the back of my head that HWA is a massive manufacturer,” says Hughes. “If anyone has ever been to their workshop in Stuttgart, it’s very impressive. It feels like a mid-sized Formula 1 team competing at F3 level. It’s very professional, very organised, there’s a lot of potential there for someone like me. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of the decision.
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it would be beneficial for my career. Last year wasn’t what I expected. I think this is another crack at it but with the potential to go somewhere with them in the future.”
With the addition of Hughes and some key technical staff, HWA has the chance to make a mark in FIA F3 this year. But everything will have to come together perfectly, with the teams so close.
Along with its technical partnership with Arden in F2, could HWA be lining up to provide a ladder to F1, possibly for Mercedes? It’s an interesting proposition and, if the answer is yes, then this could be the team that propels a future champion to F1 in years to come.