The first significant Grand Theft Auto Online DLC of 2020 has crossed the finish line and it didn't even slow for a pit stop. Open Wheel Races are here, bringing a flavor of Formula 1 to what remains one of the most popular multiplayer games of all time.
GTA Online has plenty of racing activities already, ranging from the mundane to the extreme such as Stunt Races and Transform Races. However, never before have players been given a chance to test their driving skills in a recreation of professional competitive motorsport based on F1.
The San Andreas Prix opens with 7 new tracks, though knowing Rockstar more will be added in the coming weeks and months. The launch lineup consists of Height of Society set in Vinewood, In Due Course set around Los Santos, Lap It Up set around the Port of Los Santos, Brace For Impact set in LSIA, More Haste More Speed set around Fort Zancudo, Urban Renewal in Davis and New Wave along the coast.
You can't have a Formula 1 themed DLC without proper F1 cars, can you?
Previously completely absent from the game, Open Wheel Races brings two F1 style vehicles to the game and you can bet on the upcoming weekly drip-feed DLC cars being in this vein as well. The Progen PR4 may be familiar if you were fortunate enough to win one at the Lucky Wheel last week, and the Ocelot R88 is all-new. The new cars also include some unique upgrade hardpoints not present on other models.
Professional racing machines that can compete in the Open Wheel Race series are hardly your usual fare, and thus have appropriately high costs. The PR4 can be yours for GTA$ 3,515,000 if you missed out on it last week, while the R88 costs GTA$ 3,115,000. They both have their strengths and advantages over one another, so check out the handy chart below to get an idea about their performance.
New DLC being released doesn't mean that bonuses get put on the backburner though. In honor of the all-new Open Wheel Races, all of the new tracks will be awarding racers with double RP and GTA$ all week. If racing isn't quite your scene, Mobile Operations Center missions are also paying double rewards while Import/Export sell missions are paying 1.5x the usual GTA$ amount.
Unfortunately the R88 isn't following last week's PR4 on the Diamond Casino Podium, but the vehicle you can win this week isn't bad either. The luckiest gamblers among you will walk away with a free Maxwell Vagrant if you win the vehicle prize on the Lucky Wheel.
Since both new vehicles cost a pretty penny, getting them upgraded too would put quite the strain on your in-game wallets. Luckily Rockstar has discounted performance upgrades and liveries this week, so that customizing your new rides will be less of a luxury. Hangars, Bunkers, the Avenger and select vehicles are also on sale.
We're eager to see what other race tracks and vehicles Rockstar plans to expand Open Wheel Races with.
