HWA CEO Gerhard Ungar has left the squad with immediate effect, after a disastrous start for Mercedes-Benz in the 2014 DTM season, with Pascal Wehrlein claiming the marque’s best result last weekend at Hockenheim with 11th.

HWA Gmbh have confirmed in a statement that Ungar will no longer be working for the team, and thanks him for his 26-year service to the company. Ungar was the technical director of the HWA Mercedes-Benz team since 2000 and joined the management board in 2006.

His rapid departure is put down to the troubled start for the Mercedes team in Hockenheim. Seven of Mercedes cars occupied the bottom ten positions after qualifying, including the two Mercedes C-Coupés run by Mücke Motorsport. The best result in the race was for HWA Mercedes driver Pascal Wehrlein, with the 19-year-old progressing forward four places to 11th, which means Mercedes leaves the first race of the season without a point on the board.

HWA Gmbh have confirmed that the group’s Chief Financial Officer, Ulrich Fritz, who joined HWA just six months ago from Mercedes-AMG, will assume the role temporarily until a new CEO is appointed.