German junior single-seater team HWA Racelab are prepared to hit the track for the first time in FIA Formula 2 when the first pre-season test gets underway at the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain.
The team will take over from Arden Motorsport from 2020 onwards after the British squad pulled out of F2 following a troubled 2019 which saw their driver Anthoine Hubert killed in a crash at Spa-Franchorchamps.
Artem Markelov will lead the team’s charge as he embarks on his fourth season of F2/GP2 racing after spending 2019 racing part-time in Super Formula and replacing the late Hubert and Jordan King (MP Motorsport) in F2 during the season.
He will be joined by Guiliano Alesi who will be in his sophomore season in F2 after he drastically improved following the Belgian cancellation.
HWA also field a team in FIA Formula 3 for the second successive year after securing three podiums and one win in 2019 thanks to Jake Hughes.
The Brit returns to the team this season along with a pair of famous family members. Brazilian Enzo Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 World Champion Emerson, and Australian Jack Doohan, son of five-time MotoGP champion Mick, will both begin their first seasons in F3.
HWA CEO Ulrich Fritz said: “We are hugely excited about the start of the season. This is the first time we will be fielding our own independent teams in both Formula 2 and Formula 3. That is something we are very proud of.
“On the other hand, it is also a big challenge for us. When it comes to the drivers, we have an ideal combination, with both teams including a very experienced drivers at this level, as well as highly-talented youngsters. I am confident that this is exactly the right combination to achieve success.
“We are also pleased that BWT AG will be supporting us as partner, as we take on our new challenge in Formula 2. BWT AG has proven emphatically in recent years that motorsport is dear to its heart. As a company, we also want to focus more on conserving valuable resources.
“The BWT AG water treatment systems in our factory buildings and at the racetrack will play an important role in our efforts – particularly through the elimination of long transport routes for water bottles. We cooperated successfully with BWT in the DTM, so the basis for a successful continuation of this partnership has already been laid.”
The pre-season F2/3 test begins on 1 March for three days before the racing gets underway in the desert on 21-22 March.
