News

• 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 1:49.606
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