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GT World Series Grand Finals 2023: The Nations Cup

We're in Barcelona, Spain this weekend to see the GT World Series Grand Finals 2023, as they will crown a winner for The Nations Cup.

We're in Barcelona, Spain, this weekend for the GT World Series Grand Finals 2023, checking out all of the races this weekend and the cups on the line. The folks at Michelin were kind enough to bring us out for this unique experience as we are in the crowd and backstage in the Fira de Barcelona for the game's end-of-year series of Gran Turismo 7 races happening from December 1-3. We're on the final day of the event, as we get to see the last series of esports races for The Nations Cup.

GT World Series Grand Finals 2023 – The Nations Cup

The Nations Cup started with three races to determine who would end up in the final race and placement. Three drivers each represented their country/region as they went into their respective rounds to determine point totals as well as where they would be places un the final standings.  In the first race, teams made their way around Trial Mountain, as Italy and Spain were fighting head-to-head for dominance by trading first place off and on, with France and Brazil right behind. Japan and the USA kept vying for fifth place while Brazil held to fourth pretty well for a bit. The first three laps of this race showed that even the slightest mistake can cost you a placement. In the final lap, Spain made a play for positioning and overtook Italy as the two separated themselves from the pack. Italy tried desperately to overcome, but it was no use as Spain took the first race, followed by Italy in 2nd and France in 3rd.

The second race took us to the Watkins Glen Long Course for five more laps with new drivers. The race started off hot as Italy and Spain were in the top two when suddenly a small pump from Italy threw Spain back into 9th after they swerved from the contact. The first lap was full of minor bumps and contact, which then propelled Brazil and Chile up the ranks, while France suffered a hit of damage. Italy ended up taking a 4-second penalty in the middle of Lap 2, which caused Brazil, Japan, Canada, and the USA to launch ahead of them, with Spain gaining ground to sixth. Lap three saw the USA climb to fourth, with Canada behind them in fifth. Lap four saw Spain gain ground back and get back to fourth, but Brazil, Japan, and Chile still led the pack. Spain tried to come back, but the race remained the same for the final lap as CBrazil took 1st, Japan in 2nd, and Chile in 3rd.

The third race took us back to the Barcelona-Catalunya track, this time for seven laps, as we were now on a smaller course. Spain spent the first two laps pushing back into the top three, but Brazil and Japan helped string to first and second, respectfully, while Italy and Canada rounded out the top five. The next two laps desperately saw Spain claw and scratch to get back on top, and they moved up to second while France and Chile took devastation plunges, moving Italy to third and Japan to fourth. Entering the final lap, things started to get chippy between the top five as positions changed for brief moments without penalties. But ultimately, Brazil came out on top in 1st place again, with Spain in 2nd place and Japan in 3rd place.

The culmination of all this put the best drivers from every region into the Grand Finals race for the Nations Cup. The final race took us to Spa-Francorchamps for 22 final laps of excitement. The first moments started much like how the last moments ended, as we saw Brazil, Spain, and Japan all leading the pack, with Italy and Canada rounding out the top five. The hometown crowd popped big when Spain moved back into first place in lap three. The trend held for the next few laps as there was a lot of trading off down at the bottom of the set, but there was not a lot of movement in the top five. Belgium and Chile made moves to get back into it, along with Canada and Italy. The USA sadly sat near the bottom, along with The Netherlands and New Zealand. Lap nine saw Italy overtake Japan and move into third place while Canada made their way into fifth place, while Spain and Brazil took their pit stops for the race.

After more jockeying for position, Italy had moved their way into second place, with New Zealand taking a commanding jump into third place, followed closely by Brazil in Japan. Lal 18 had New Zealand falling back down in seventh, bringing Brazil back up to third place behind Italy and Spain. Japan made a play entering Lap 20 to surpass Brazil and get back in the third, followed by a move over Italy to shoot into second on Lap 21. There were some close calls all around in the last two laps, but it was clear that Spain was walking away with the cup, as Japan took second, and Brazil managed to overtake Italy and secured third in the final lap.

Congrats to Spain for taking The Nations Cup at the GT World Series Grand Finals 2023 in their home country!

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