Under a multi-year agreement, Michelin becomes the official tyre partner of the FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships.

The partnership will begin with increasing the tyre manufacturer’s presence within the Gran Turismo Sport game via free content available for download by October this year. This will feature a new Michelin section in the ‘Brand Central’ virtual museum, introducing players to the brand’s motor sport heritage, on-track branding, as well as Michelin-branded tyres available in the ‘Tuning’ section.

In the first-ever partnership of this kind, Michelin will share its tyre development know-how with Polyphony Digital, the game developers, aiming to provide the players with a new dimension of strategy and competition linked to tyre selection and performance, introducing the element of pit-level decisions and bringing the whole experience even closer to real-life.

Graham Stoker, FIA Deputy President for Sport and chair of the FIA Digital Motor Sport Working Group, commented:

“Michelin’s significant presence in the past, present and future of motor sport makes it an ideal partner for the official FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships and provides further evidence of just how important digital motor sport has become.

“The ability to use the knowledge and experience gathered by Michelin over its decades of participation in various disciplines will bridge the gap between virtual and real-life racing still further. Without a doubt, this partnership is a milestone for all parties involved.”

Established in 2018 and organised in conjunction with Polyphony Digital, the FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships is the first-ever FIA-sanctioned Digital Motor Sport tournament. It consist of two categories: the Nations Cup and the Manufacturer Series.

The competition is open to players from around the globe who entered the ‘Sport’ mode of Gran Turismo Sport. The best drivers are given an opportunity to participate in international live events such as the Gran Turismo World Tour and the World Finals, with title-winners invited to the end of the year FIA Prize Giving Ceremony to receive their award alongside the champions of other major FIA disciplines.