Is Mercedes facing a difficult start with in-house racing division?

Mercedes-AMG is facing a huge challenge as its collaboration with HWA AG concludes at the end of November. Hans-Werner Aufrecht’s company has not only handled all of the brand’s factory racing programmes outside of Formula 1 and Formula E, but it has also been responsible for the entire GT3 project as a partner since 2010.

It is understood that the transition from HWA to the in-house Affalterbach Racing GmbH division, which has been under development since 2024 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMG, is not exactly going smoothly.

«They’re still in the initial stages,» said an industry insider. «It’s all new people, and there’s a lack of organisation.»

None of this should come as a surprise. Affalterbach Racing GmbH (AFB for short) faces a herculean task: from 2026 onwards, it will not only be responsible for building all Mercedes-AMG customer racing cars, including support and overhauls, but also for developing the brand’s next-generation GT3 contender.

This comes at a time when AMG CEO Michael Schiebe is leaving Mercedes’ high-performance division, with a successor yet to be named. «Many are only now realising everything HWA has actually done for Mercedes,» said another source close to the German marque.

Is Mercedes-AMG prepared for the transition?

«Since the founding of Affalterbach Racing GmbH last year, the development has been progressing steadily,» said Christoph Sagemuller, head of motorsport at Mercedes-AMG, describing the current status. «We are very satisfied, on schedule, and proud of the team we have built so far.»

This team consists «primarily of highly experienced employees from the motorsport sector.»

Rumours suggest it now has over 100 members, plus subcontractors. Well-informed sources indicate that the initial plan was for a much smaller team. Furthermore, the company is still advertising positions. Slightly fewer than 40 people are said to be coming from HWA, which makes sense given their experience in customer racing.

«At Affalterbach Racing GmbH, we are staffed as planned for the current timeframe,» Sagemuller stated, denying any miscalculation regarding the targeted number of employees. However, he asked for understanding that «we are keeping the exact figures to ourselves».

It has been reported that the switch from HWA AG to AFR GmbH could lead to shortages in the coming months, regarding the supply of spare parts for the approximately 300 AMG customer racing cars currently in use. Therefore, the teams were informed in advance to ensure they have sufficient parts to maintain operations.

«It’s normal for there to be some initial friction,» explained Thomas Jager, Mercedes-AMG’s sporting director for DTM. «There are a lot of parts; an inventory needs to be taken. We’re talking about probably 14,000 to 15,000 part numbers. It takes time to count them all.»

The biggest challenge, Jager clarified, is «getting the systems up and running again». Affalterbach Racing GmbH, which will take over from January 2026 after a one-month transition period, will also take over HWA’s spare parts trucks, which should ensure a smooth transition.

Asked when the operations could return to normality, Jager replied: «I think the system will be running perfectly again for the European season. We definitely want to deliver the same top-notch service in the future as before – as our customers are used to, and deserve.»

But are the necessary warehouses and workshops for spare parts and support currently available? In Affalterbach, where AFR GmbH is supposedly headquartered, these are currently nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, Sagemuller believes that the company is «very well equipped in terms of space».

«There is approximately 2,000 square meters of workshop space available for service and repairs, as well as 600 square meters of office workspace,» he added. «And of course, this also includes the necessary tools to guarantee appropriate service for the existing vehicles.»

However, this space is available not in Affalterbach, but in Unterturkheim, about 20km away, where the Mercedes-Benz plant is located and where the AMG subsidiary team is currently housed.

This is expected to remain the case for over a year, until the planned buildings are constructed and ready for occupancy. The new spare parts warehouse is planned for Magstadt – about 25km from Unterturkheim and 40km from Affalterbach.

#57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Lumen via Getty Images

Will HWA remain a Mercedes-AMG service provider despite split?

Asked where the overhaul of engine and transmission parts will be carried out, Sagemuller said: «These services are managed by Affalterbach Racing GmbH.»

He also revealed that «the engine overhauls are carried out directly at Mercedes-AMG itself». This is an area for which HWA was also considered a candidate.

Affalterbach Racing GmbH is still looking for a service provider for gearbox overhauls and HWA is one of the potential candidates for the contract despite the split with AMG.

Hans-Werner Aufrecht’s company, which has had more and more orders withdrawn from Mercedes-AMG since the factory’s exit from the DTM at the end of 2018, although this has since been compensated for with other orders, remains open to further cooperation.

«We regret that we can no longer organise customer racing for AMG. After all, we developed the area from 2010 to 2025 with very successful and reliable vehicles and, in my opinion, an unparalleled aftersales and customer support system, and we grew together,» HWA Managing Director Martin Marx told Motorsport.com.

«Although there is no longer a contractual basis, we remain available to our neighbours as a partner and service provider for support services. We are happy to continue working for AMG, after all, we share the same name.»

We want your opinion!

— The Motorsport.com Team