GB3 race-winner and Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner Joseph Loake got behind the wheel of the new Tatuus MSV GB3-025 car at MSV’s Circuito de Navarra on Thursday, and was immediately impressed by the new car’s turn of pace.
The FIA F3 contender was able to lap the Spanish circuit comfortably quicker than the outgoing Tatuus MSV-022 previously used by the championship. More than 1,300km of trouble-free mileage was accumulated in total during the four day test, with Lorenzo Colombo at the wheel for the first three days before handing over to Loake for the final day.
“From the moment I got into the car, it was a surprise how quick it was to start with,” Loake said. It’s got a lot of pace in it and of course, when the car gets released to the teams, they will find even more speed.
“It’s been very well built by Tatuus, and the championship has done a great job with it so far.”
Loake was quick to point out that the 025 car is even more enjoyable to drive than its predecessor, and will be a good challenge for drivers moving up from GB4 and F4.
“You have much more freedom to move around with the new car, so you can play around more with how you drive it. It’s a lot more fun to get the lap time out of, you can feel the aero is higher, but the thing that also impressed me was the performance in low speed.
“With the car being slightly heavier and having a longer wheelbase, I was expecting a struggle in the low speed, but to be honest, it felt just as good as the old car in the slower stuff.
“The new car really rewards you when you drive it to the limit, and drivers are going to really, really enjoy it.”
Loake also believes that the new car will result in better racing, and will act as a better preparation tool for drivers moving up to the next level.
“The racing is going to be better with the DRS, and I also think it’s going to be a better step towards FIA Formula 3 for drivers. The way you have to drive the car is a lot more Formula 3 in style and it should therefore help drivers prepare for the next step up after GB3.
“A lot of these cars are very difficult to follow with the aero, so I think the DRS will be a great addition. It was more powerful than we thought when the car was testing to start out with, so we were happy with that. It will help the racing, especially on some of the tighter UK circuits.”
Having driven plenty of high performance machines in recent years, including a full FIA F3 campaign in 2024, as well as an Aston Martin F1 car, Loake already considers the Tatuus MSV GB3-025 as a standout machine.
“It’s definitely one of my favourite cars that I’ve driven so far, and it’s already building on the legacy of the old car, which is a massive compliment.”