3
REVOLUTION
AND EVOLUTION
T
HE NEW
D
ALLARA
GP3
NOW FEATURES A TRUE RACING ENGINE AND FORMS AN
INTEGRAL PART OF A FAMILY THAT INCLUDES
GP2
AND
F.1,
THANKS IN NO SMALL
PART TO ITS EXCITING NEW LOOK
.
A
T THE SAME TIME
,
THE CAREFUL DESIGN ALLOWS
TEAMS TO KEEP COSTS TO A MINIMUM
.
T
OGETHER WITH THE PROJECT MANAGER
,
E
NGINEER
L
UCA
P
IGNACCA
,
WE TAKE AN IN
-
DEPTH LOOK AT THE CAR THAT HAS
ALREADY RECEIVED WIDESPREAD APPROVAL FROM THE TEAMS
.
W
E ALSO TAKE A LOOK
AT THE CURRENT AND FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR SINGLE
-
SEATER RACING
What is the underlying concept behind the new
GP3? The stress seems to be on evolution rather
than revolution.
«
Both, in reality. There has been a significant
revolution in terms of its placement in the context
of the single-seater scene, between F.3, Renault
World Series and GP2. Performance has been
increased significantly: the old GP3 was slightly
faster than the F.3, whereas the new model is
closer to the GP2. There is still an appreciable gap,
which is deliberate, but there is now a net
distinction between GP3 and F.3. This revolution is
mainly due to the new engine. We have replaced
the old engine, which was derived from a
production 4 cylinder in-line turbo unit, with a
true, V6 racing engine (although this was also,
originally, derived from a production model.
However, our aim was to satisfy a requirement of
the teams who, just like everyone else, are feeling
the effects of the financial crisis and were unable
to afford a brand new car. In order to keep costs to
a minimum, they asked us to create a kit, and
from this point of view we are certainly dealing
with a kind of evolution».
The bodywork is very similar to its big sister, the
GP2. What other modifications have you made?
«
We have made a number of modifications. For
example, neither the drivers nor the sponsors liked
the noise that the old GP3 made, they thought it
seemed inadequate and that it wasn’t exciting
enough. In other words, it had a detrimental effect
on the category’s image in the eyes of the public
and those who work in the sector. The new engine
will make everyone happy, in fact we believe the
new engine sounds very similar to the GP2.
Another problem was that the car was very
difficult to drive: when you look at the starting
grids from last year’s GP3 championship, there was
just one second between 20 cars. This made it
difficult for the talented drivers to emerge. To
remedy this we have increased the power from 270
to 400 horsepower, while maintaining everything
else more or less the same. For example, the tyres
are the still the same. You mentioned the look, and
we also received a very specific request regarding
this aspect: we were asked to increase the “family
feeling” with respect to the “big sister”, in order to
stress the idea of communality between GP3, GP2
and F1. I think we have succeeded in our
objectives: the fairing is similar to the GP2, as is
the nose, and the car is now 100 millimetres longer
because we have moved the oil tank from its old
lateral position, where it was more exposed in the
event of an accident, to its new position under the
hood between the engine and the gearbox».
Aerodynamics is a fundamental element in the
design process: what’s changed?
«
With the exception of the chassis, the bodywork is
completely new. The wings have not been changed,
which saves the teams from buying new ones – this
“
Carry over”, as it’s known in the jargon, all helps
towards keeping costs down».
➔
