An all-new update bringing brand-new game content can only mean one thing for the latest Gran Turismo 7 Online Time Trial: new stuff to get a handle on.
We’ve got a bit of a mix of content this week too, as a track that’s making its debut in the series is twinned to a car that made a single appearance back in the lawless days of Gran Turismo 2 and only returns 26 years later.
If you couldn’t tell from the image above, that’s the legendary Renault Espace F1, a truly crazy concept car created by French outfit Matra that paired its humble minivan with the pinnacle of motorsport by sticking a V10 Renault F1 engine into the middle of an Espace.
That’s not quite the whole story, as the Espace F1 shares… well, nothing but the name and general shape with the Mk2 Espace upon which it’s based. It’s a fully custom carbon fibre chassis with a composite body shell and (aside from the F1 engine itself) major mechanical components better suited to F1 than the supermarket.
Matra made two, with one a static show car and the other a fully functioning box of lunacy that could seat up to four in racing seats and harnesses for a hot lap around whatever F1 circuit it was visiting that week. Interestingly the two cars have minor physical differences and, while it was the show car in GT2, the GT7 model is the real thing.
You’ll be racing this unique vehicle around the newly added Yas Marina Circuit, so there’s plenty of space and runoff while you get used to the interesting handling. Currently the world record for this is a 1:47.491, but with a wholly new vehicle and track, anything could happen in the next two weeks; we’d say dip into the 1:49s for gold.
That does mean we have two functional prototypes in the lineup this week, with the Citroen GT by Citroen event from last week remaining in place — and one driver on a mission to prove us wrong.
Currently the global record is a 1:23.895, and not only is it the only time in the 1:23s but it’s nearly half a second better than the third-placed time. That’s sent the gold target plunging to the bottom of the 1:26.4s, so if you went with our “sub-1:26.5” recommendation last week you might want to revisit and get a couple more tenths out of it.
There’s also a third Time Trial up this week — and this week only — with a special event that offers one winner a VIP trip to the GT World Series finals in Fukuoka. That’s the Polestar 5 Time Trial Challenge, and you’ve got seven days to complete it.
This event mimics the Invitational Race from the GTWS event in Los Angeles, comprising a hot lap of the tiny Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in this 871hp EV on slippery Sports Hard tires. With the current record a 49.743s lap, it’ll be done pretty quickly at least; gold sits at a 51.235s lap right now, but we’d recommend a couple of tenths better for security.
In order to access the Online Time Trials, you’ll need to unlock Sport Mode, by completing Menu Book 9 (“Championship: Tokyo Highway Parade”) in the GT Cafe single player hub. As it’s just you against the clock and not a direct, head-to-head multiplayer event, PlayStation Plus is not required.
You’ll usually need to be within 3% of the fastest time globally once the event finishes in order to secure “gold” status and a 2m credit bonus prize. There’s smaller prizes of one million for being within 5%, and 250,000cr for bronze at 10% off — doubled to 500,000cr for the Polestar 5 event.
The events update every Thursday, with each individual challenge usually remaining available for two weeks and the oldest of the two events being replaced each week. You can look forward to the next new Time Trial arriving at 0700 UTC on Thursday December 11.
Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge December 4 – Yas Marina Circuit
- Track: Yas Marina Circuit
- Car: Renault Espace F1 ’95 – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (M)
- Tires: Racing Soft
- Settings: Fixed
Gran Turismo 7 Polestar 5 Time Trial Challenge 2025 – Brands Hatch
- Track: Brands Hatch Indy Circuit
- Car: Polestar 5 Performance ’26 – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (L)
- Tires: Sports Soft
- Settings: Fixed
Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge November 27 – Autodrome Lago Maggiore
- Track: Autodrome Lago Maggiore East
- Car: Citroen GT by Citroen – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (L)
- Tires: Sports Hard
- Settings: Fixed
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