GP3 Champion Mitch Evans has run the new GP3/13 car for the first time at Magny-Cours, praising the noise of the new vehicle. Since GP3 made its debut as a Formula 1 feeder series in 2010, the championship has come under fire from some who claimed the volume and pitch of the engine note were too low.

“I’m very happy to be given this opportunity,” Evans said in France. “The new car is really fun to drive. It’s a big step-up in power. I think GP3 have also done a really good job with the engine. The sound of the GP3/13 is really nice; when you exit the pits you notice the difference straight away with the noise, especially as it’s so much louder. I think, all-in-all, it’s a good step forward for the GP3 Series, with moving closer to GP2. Next year looks very promising with the second generation car.”

Discussing his first GP2 outing, which will come on Tuesday, he continued:

“It’s a great experience – obviously it’s very new to me. I can’t thank GP3, GP2 and Pirelli enough for giving me this opportunity to do it. We have tested lots of new tyres today, so it’s been like a massive qualifying session for me which has been very challenging but also good fun. It will be very interesting to see how the tyres perform over the longer runs. I want to make the most of this over the two day test and to learn as much as possible.”

New Zealander Evans claimed this year’s GP3 title in a nail-biting finale, as Daniel Abt of Germany finished runner-up at Monza.