News

• HWA RACELAB drivers in the top ten in individual sessions on four occasions
• Bent Viscaal: "Especially the session on Thursday afternoon went really well.”
• Jake Hughes: “I cannot wait for the first race in Barcelona."
• Keyvan Andres: “We are moving in the right direction.”
• Thomas Strick: "We feel ready for this challenge.“

Budapest, 18th April 2019 – HWA RACELAB has taken the final step on the road to its race debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Following tests at Circuit Paul Ricard and in Barcelona, the team from Affalterbach attended the series' final official tests on Wednesday and Thursday, before the season kicks off in Barcelona from 10th to 12th May. Beautiful spring weather made for virtually perfect conditions at the circuit. Only towards the end of day one was there a few drops of rain.

The HWA RACELAB drivers got plenty of kilometres under their belt and improved steadily over the course of the four sessions. The trio achieved its best result on Wednesday afternoon. Jake Hughes set the fifth-fastest time of the 30-strong field. The Brit was also regularly among the ten fastest drivers in the two previous tests. Bent Viscaal and Keyvan Andres were ninth and 13th.

The team will now analyse the tests thoroughly and use the results in its final preparations for the season-opener. HWA RACELAB is one of ten teams in the newly-formed FIA Formula 3 Championship. 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.

Bent Viscaal (19, Netherlands, car number 10)
"Especially the session on Thursday afternoon went really well. We've been working a lot on the car over the last few days, everything goes in the right direction. There's still a lot to do, but I'm really looking forward to the first race in Barcelona."

Jake Hughes (24, Great Britain, car number 11)
"I am very happy. We had two really good days here. Short runs and long runs, both went very well. The top-five result at the end was a nice way to finish. As far as the car is concerned, we know pretty well what works and what we still need to work on. A little bit of me is pleased that the tests are now over and the season will soon be underway. I love racing and cannot wait for the first race in Barcelona."

Keyvan Andres (19, Iran, car number 12)
"The final tests were very good. There is still a lot to do, but we are moving in the right direction. We made a few changes to the set-up, which will help us over the course of the season. As such, I am really looking forward to the first race in Barcelona. The car feels good, although there are still a few minor adjustments to be made. It is always about being able to push ourselves to the limit. Qualifying for the opening race will reveal where we actually stand compared to the opposition."

Thomas Strick, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"The tests here at the Hungaroring were incredibly valuable to us. They guys increased consistently over the course of the two days. That really pleased me. We know what we still need to work on before the first race. We focus intensively on that in the coming weeks. It was important for the drivers to be able to test themselves against their direct rivals again. It is a strong field, but we feel ready for this challenge. There is already a huge sense of anticipation among the entire team before the start of the season in Barcelona."

Results of the test at the Hungaroring:

Wednesday morning:
1. Leonardo Pulcini Hitech Grand Prix 1:31.564
10. Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB 1:32.245
26. Bent Viscaal HWA RACELAB 1:33.060
29. Keyvan Andres HWA RACELAB 1:33.852

Wednesday afternoon:
1. Marcus Armstrong PREMA Racing 1:31.411
13. Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB 1:32.365
24. Keyvan Andres HWA RACELAB 1:33.569
25. Bent Viscaal HWA RACELAB 1:33.626

Thursday morning:
1. Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:30.746
7. Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB 1:31.207
27. Bent Viscaal HWA RACELAB 1:32.146
29. Keyvan Andres HWA RACELAB 1:32.549

Thursday afternoon:
1. Yuki Tsunoda Jenzer Motorsport 1:32.177
5. Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB 1:32.547
9. Bent Viscaal HWA RACELAB 1:32.880
13. Keyvan Andres HWA RACELAB 1:33.017