This week brings three new combinations in Gran Turismo 7 for Week 39 of 2026. We're heading to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Fuji International Speedway, and Sardegna Road Track. It's a week that builds as it goes, from a classic muscle car on road tyres, through a mid-engined Gr.4 sprint, to a Gr.3 race at ×8 tyre wear.
Daily Race A: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the Ford Mustang Mach 1
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the United States spans 3.6 km with 11 corners. It's short and technical, and it's famous for the Corkscrew at Turns 8 and 8A, which drops 18 m with a gradient of up to 16%.
The Ford Mustang Mach 1 '71 on Comfort Softs for 6 laps is a one-make, so everyone's in the same car and it comes down purely to driving. The 1971 Mustang grew about 7.6 cm wider to make room for Ford's 7.0-litre 429 big-block V8, so this is a big muscle car. Comfort Softs are the grippiest of the Comfort tyres, but GT7's own manual ranks every Sports and Racing tyre above them, so there isn't a lot of grip to go round.
Six laps at standard fuel and wear with no pit stops makes this a sprint, so qualifying and a clean first lap matter most. With this little grip, the quick laps come from patience. Brake in a straight line, let the car settle, and only get back on the power once it's pointing out of the corner. The Corkscrew punishes anyone who arrives unsettled, and the heavy stop into the Andretti Hairpin at Turn 2 is the natural place to line up a move.
Update 1.71 also reworked damper characteristics for more natural body movement, so if you last drove this car before 20 August, give yourself a few laps to relearn it.
Daily Race B: Fuji International Speedway in Gr.4 (MR only)
Fuji International Speedway in Japan spans 4.56 km with 16 corners and 40 m of elevation, with a longest straight of 1.48 km. It's a track of two halves: that huge main straight into a heavy stop at TGR Corner, then a tight, technical final sector that decides how fast you arrive back on the straight.
Gr.4 on Racing Mediums for 6 laps, standard fuel and wear, no pit stops, and the field restricted to mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive cars. With the engine between the axles there's more weight over the rear tyres, which helps traction and braking. The catch is that when the rear lets go, it goes suddenly, and the slow corners of the final sector are where that will catch people out.
This is another sprint. The long straight means the slipstream will keep the pack close, so a good exit from the last corner is worth more than a brave move anywhere else. On lap one, expect a crowd into TGR Corner. Brake a touch early and let others take the risks.
There's still a car choice within the MR restriction, so see what the quick drivers pick once a few hundred entries are in. If you're entering the Nations Cup round at Fuji on 26 September, this is handy practice for the braking points, even in a very different car.
Daily Race C: Sardegna Road Track in Gr.3
Sardegna Road Track in Italy spans 5.11 km with 15 corners and 38 m of elevation, with a longest straight of 0.92 km. It's one of Polyphony's own circuits, a fast and scenic coastal track that asks for precision as much as speed.
Gr.3 on Racing Mediums for 11 laps, with ×2 fuel, ×8 tyre wear, and one mandatory pit stop. This is the strategy race of the week, and the wear rate is the headline. It's a step up from the ×5 at Brands Hatch last week and the ×6 at Dragon Trail the week before, and Racing Mediums are once again the only tyre on offer.
With one compound, the decision comes down to when you stop. At ×8 the Mediums will fade fast, so the natural split is roughly half and half, with the stop around lap five or six. The real question is whether the tyres hold their pace that long. If they drop off sharply before halfway, a second stop for fresh rubber could be quicker than limping to the flag, even with the time lost in the pit lane.
Update 1.71 revised tyre heating and wear values, so older wear numbers may not hold. There's a genuine car choice in Gr.3 too, and at ×8 a car that's kind to its tyres may be worth more than one that's quickest over a single lap.
Fuel at ×2 matters less with a stop to refuel at, but run a few practice laps first. Work out how many laps the Mediums keep their pace and what a lap costs in fuel, then plan the stop around the tyres.
Final Thoughts
A really nicely balanced week. The Mustang one-make at Laguna Seca will reward patience and tidy inputs on very little grip, the mid-engined Gr.4 race at Fuji will reward clean exits and a sensible first lap, and the Gr.3 race at Sardegna will reward whoever manages their tyres and times their stop best.
Sardegna is the one we'd circle. Eleven laps at ×8 wear on one compound means much of the work happens in practice, and that's where preparation beats raw pace.
Let us know what you think about this combination. It looks like it could be a very interesting one.
Daily Race Discussion
Gran Turismo 7