HWA AG was formally established in 1999, though its roots trace to AMG, which Aufrecht co-founded in 1967. Towards the end of 1998 Aufrecht sold a majority stake in AMG to DaimlerChrysler AG. As part of that transaction, AMG's motor racing department and portions of its customised vehicle construction business were separated and transferred into the newly created HWA AG. HWA then took responsibility for managing the AMG Mercedes programme in the DTM, an arrangement that defined the company for its first two decades. Between 1998 and 1999 HWA also oversaw production of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Straßenversion road car, building twenty examples, with a further six roadster versions constructed from spare parts in 2002.
HWA's DTM record was dominant across multiple eras of the championship. Teams' titles came in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2018. Drivers' championships were won by Bernd Schneider in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2006; Gary Paffett in 2005 and 2018; Paul di Resta in 2010; and Pascal Wehrlein in 2015. Notable drivers who raced for HWA in the DTM over the years included Mika Häkkinen, Ralf Schumacher, Jean Alesi, Klaus Ludwig, and Sébastien Ogier.
In May 2018 it was announced that HWA would join the ABB FIA Formula E Championship for the 2018–19 season under the HWA RACELAB banner. The team's drivers were Gary Paffett, the reigning DTM champion, and Stoffel Vandoorne, a former McLaren Formula One driver. The team scored 44 points and finished ninth in the teams' standings. For the 2019–20 season, Mercedes entered Formula E in an official factory capacity by taking over the HWA entry entirely and renaming it the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team.
In October 2018 HWA was confirmed as one of ten teams to contest the inaugural season of the rebranded FIA Formula 3 Championship. In January 2019 the team entered into a partnership with Arden International for the FIA Formula 2 Championship. When Arden subsequently withdrew from the series, HWA took over the entry outright for the 2020 season, with Artem Markelov as its first confirmed driver.
HWA competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for three seasons — 2019, 2020, and 2021 — claiming four wins and ten podiums before announcing in October 2021 that it would withdraw from the series. Van Amersfoort Racing subsequently purchased HWA's Formula 3 assets.
Beyond fielding race entries, HWA has contributed engineering expertise to other projects. For the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, HWA provided research and development work for the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C's 3.0-litre single-turbo V6 engine. The car made its racing debut at the season-opening 2024 Qatar 1812 km. HWA continues to compete in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie from 2026 onwards.
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