following a three-year cycle, the previous gp3 chassis was replaced by a brand new car, the gp3/13, built by italian racing car manufacturer dallara. the 280 bhp turbo-charged engine used from 2010 to 2012 was upgraded to a 400 bhp naturally-aspirated v6 unit, which will be used until end of 2015. series organisers have anticipated that the new cars became up to three seconds per lap faster than the gp3/10 chassis; these estimations proved to be accurate during pre-season testing at the autódromo do estoril. the re-structuring of the category coincides with the series' organisers' desire to ease the transition between the gp3 series and parent series gp2, thereby allowing rookie drivers more opportunities to succeed in gp2.