Whilst Polyphony Digital had previously confirmed a few weeks back that there would be a renewal of the FIA-certified series, we’ve now finally received confirmation of when the races will resume.
Following the same pattern as previous seasons of the championship, there will be an exhibition series starting on 27th February. This will likely run through the end of February and March before the season starts in earnest in April or May. Presumably, both the Manufacturer and Nations Cup will return – we haven’t got the full schedule just yet.
It’s also not known whether Polyphony will aim to bring back the big “in-person” events seen in 2019 and for one event in Australia last year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It’s likely though, at least to begin with, that racing will be held online for the foreseeable feature.
“We are pleased to announce that the ‘FIA Gran Turismo Championships’ 2021 Exhibition Series will be held from Saturday, 27 February.”
Gran turismo
Currently, there is no money on offer for drivers and it has been argued that this means that this prevents the series from attracting the top racing esports talent, but it does make the series accessible to a wide audience. Drivers are also restricted in their commercial and team partnerships. Whether this approach changes in 2021 remains to be seen.
Your current manufacturer affiliation contract will lapse when the new season begins. Do make sure that you check out the balance of performance update we reported upon recently before making your decision. There have been some significant changes for many cars – particularly the front-wheel-drive cars.
Until then, you’ve always got the daily races to look forward to. You can check out this week’s races (week commencing 1st February) here.
