People

Gerhard Ungar

AMG technical director who led the CLK GTR project

Nationality
German

The record

German engineer who joined AMG at the end of 1987 and, as technical director, led the CLK GTR project for the 1997 FIA GT Championship. He later served as HWA technical director and chief executive, with a leading role on Mercedes Formula 3 engines and the SLS AMG GT3 customer programme. After leaving HWA in 2014 he co-founded US Racing with Ralf Schumacher and remains its team principal.

Gerhard Ungar joined AMG at the end of 1987, working first in engine design and development. By 1995, Dario Franchitti described him as Mercedes’ chief engineer. When Opel and Alfa Romeo announced their withdrawal from the International Touring Car Championship at Mugello in late September 1996, Mercedes motorsport director Norbert Haug faced a 1997 without a factory programme.

Later that year Haug tasked AMG technical director Ungar with leading the FIA GT entry. The CLK GTR was conceived, built and given its race debut within 128 days; a McLaren F1 GTR was converted to test the six-litre V12 and gearbox. Bernd Schneider took the 1997 FIA GT drivers’ title and AMG-Mercedes the team title. Mercedes skipped the non-championship Le Mans 24 Hours.

Mercedes made a written commitment to produce road cars, but Autosport records that the 1997 rules had changed: the purpose-built racer could enter without the normal pre-season road-car hurdle. Haug said Hans Werner Aufrecht’s willingness to make 25 road-going examples was essential. HWA built the CLK GTR Straßenversion at Affalterbach. In 1998 the works replaced the V12 car with the lighter CLK-LM.

At HWA he was technical director from 2000, on the board from December 2006, sole director from 2009 and chief executive from September 2012. Mercedes recorded 170 ITC and DTM wins under his guidance, with ten drivers’ and nine manufacturers’ titles. He held a leading role on HWA Formula 3 engines and the SLS AMG GT3 customer programme. He left in May 2014 after a pointless DTM opener at Hockenheim.

In July 2014 he joined Caterham F1 in a management role whose title was never published. In 2015 his HTP Junior Team took Marvin Dienst to the first ADAC Formula 4 title. That December he and Ralf Schumacher, his former DTM driver, moved the team to Kerpen as US Racing. 2026 championship notices still name him team manager and principal.

Record-time GT1 programme

In late 1996, Ungar was tasked with leading the CLK GTR project from brief to race debut in 128 days. A McLaren F1 GTR was converted to test Mercedes’ six-litre V12 and gearbox.

Race pace over pole

In an account of the 2000 CLK DTM, Bernd Schneider called Ungar the programme’s chief engineer and said he really concentrated on race speed and consistency rather than pole position.

Prototype without a road twin

He is named as HWA chief designer on the 1999 CLR. LMGTP rules required no road car, so the prototype could drop the comforts and road-legal packaging that had constrained the CLK GTR.

The stations

  1. 1987–1998AMGEngine design and development; later technical director
  2. 1998–2014HWATechnical director from 2000; Vorstand from December 2006; Alleinvorstand from 2009; chief executive from September 2012
  3. 2014Caterham F1Management role alongside Christijan Albers; job title undetermined
  4. 2015HTP Junior Team UngarFounder and team principal
  5. 2016–US RacingCo-founder and team principal

The house

Mercedes-Benz

Credited through AMG.

In the register

One file carries this name

The files above are the register's own record of this name. The people index holds everyone the register credits.

In their words

“We had an exceptional season in 2015. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the whole team, and I'm now looking forward to working with Ralf. ADAC Formula 4 is the best entry-level series for young racers in professional motorsport.”

Gerhard Ungar · ADAC Formel 4, 11 December 2015