GTA Online Open Wheel Races Money Guide — Best Solo & Multiplayer Methods (2025)
- Niels Gys
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
TL;DR FOR PEOPLE WITH ATTENTION SPANS OF A GOLDFISH
Play ONLY during 2×, 3x or 4× money weeks
Host your own Invite Only races
5 laps, Non-Contact, Catch-Up Off
Use the BR8 if you have it
Soft tyres if you’re skilled, Medium/Hard if you’re not
Win 70%+ of your races
Earn stupid amounts of money
That’s it.
SHOULD YOU DO THIS FOR MONEY?
If you:
Like clean races → YES
Like chaos → maybe
Like money → ABSOLUTELY
Like being rammed by idiots → public races await you, brave soul
Want $1M/hour → only during bonuses
Want $200k/hour and a calm life → reliable even without bonuses
Open Wheel Races are like espresso:
Amazing when done right
Disgusting when done wrong
And will absolutely ignite your heart if abused
Do it the CRIMENET way, and this becomes one of the most efficient — and funniest — GTA$ methods in the entire game.
Open Wheel Races look glamorous. F1 cars! Pit stops! Strategy! Precision!But in GTA Online it’s usually:
Lap 1, turn 1: someone named XX420NoScopeBabyXX uses your rear wing as a trampoline.
Lap 2: your tyres melt faster than Belgian chocolate in a sauna.
Lap 3: you pit for repairs and rejoin in 14th behind a man who drives like he’s balancing soup.
And yet… this CAN make money. Real, structured, serious GTA$ — IF you play it like a scheming supervillain, not a random tourist with a death wish.
Let’s break every rule of politeness and squeeze every cent out of these races.
THE RAW NUMBERS (PAY ATTENTION, THIS IS WHERE THE MONEY IS)
Without bonuses:
1st place (10 laps): ± $50,000
2nd–3rd: “Well done, here’s enough money to buy a soda machine.”
Race time: ± 8–10 minutes
Realistic earnings if you win often: $300,000–$400,000 per hour
Realistic earnings if you drive like a wounded donkey: $0 and severe humiliation
With 3× bonus weeks:
1st place (10 laps): up to ± $150,000
Hourly potential if you win most races: $1M–$1.5M per hour
Even if you’re mediocre: $500k–$750k/hour
Which is Heist-level income without Lester breathing in your ear like a damp librarian.
Moral of the story: If it’s 3× week, Open Wheel isn’t a race mode — it’s a tax-free printing press.
THE CRIMENET DOCTRINE: WHAT TO DO, WHAT NOT TO DO
This is not one of those “play however you like 😊” guides. No. This is CRIMENET. We tell you what to do. Hard and fast.
1. Never, EVER play in public lobbies.
Public lobbies in Open Wheel are essentially:
20% racing
80% adult toddlers committing war crimes with tyres
If you like being rammed at 280 km/h by someone whose brain is powered by lukewarm Monster Energy, go ahead.
If you want money, do NOT race publicly.
Do this instead:
Start an Invite Only or Crew Session
Host the race
Disable Contact
Set 5 laps
Invite 1–3 semi-capable humans
Boom. You’ve removed 80% of the financial risk — and 99% of the idiots.
2. The Only Correct Race Settings (Everything Else Is Wrong)
Contact: OFF
Catch-up: OFF
Slipstream: OFF
Laps:
5
Tyres:
Soft if you can actually drive
Medium/Hard if you explode emotionally when tyres wear out
Vehicle:
BR8 if you own it
Anything else if you don’t and like suffering
3. Buy an Open Wheel car — yes, even if you're broke.
You don’t need it technically, but it’s like going to prom wearing your dad’s shoes:You can participate, but you’ll be judged.
Owning your own car gives:
Better handling tunes
Wing adjustments
Tyre options
Bragging rights
A sense of identity that your therapist will later ask about
4. Memorise the track like you’re sitting an exam.
Every track has:
One corner where 95% of players explode
One section where heroes are made
One straight where you can pretend you’re competent
Learn these.
Hit pit stops BEFORE disaster.
Avoid driving like you’re escaping an angry goose.
This alone increases your earnings by 30–50% because:Less crashing = less repairing = more winning = more money.
THE MONEY META: HOW TO MAKE $1M/HOUR LIKE A SOCIOPATH
Step 1 — Wait for a bonus week.
If it’s 1× week:Run away.
Do literally anything else.
Sell stolen cars.Sell your friend.
It will make more money.
Step 2 — Host 5-lap Invite Only Races.
You want maximum races per hour. The more races = the more wins = the more cash.
Step 3 — Win. Not "try." Win.
This is not the Olympics, nobody claps for effort.
CRIMENET is a dictatorship — of success.
Step 4 — Restart instantly.
No chit-chat.
No admiring your car.
Smash “Replay.”
Keep going.
Step 5 — Stop when your hourly rate drops.
Your goal:
Non-bonus: $300k/hour minimum
Bonus: $1M/hour minimum
If you dip below that? Get out. No sentimentality.
COMMUNITY WISDOM (SANITISED FOR CRIMENET)
If you survive the first corner, you will probably win.
If you don’t survive the first corner, you will learn new combinations of curse words.
Pit stop discipline is everything.
Soft tyres feel amazing… until you cook them and slide into a wall like a buttered pigeon.
High downforce = corner god
Low downforce = straight-line demon. Choose based on the track, not your mood swings.
FAQ
Are Open Wheel Races worth it for making money? Yes — but only if you do it properly. In bonus weeks (2×/4× GTA$), they can hit $1M–$1.6M/hour. Outside bonus weeks, expect $250k–$400k/hour if you win consistently.
What’s the best way to make money with Open Wheel Races? Host your own Invite-Only race, use Non-Contact, set 5 laps, pick the BR8, choose soft tyres, win, hit replay, repeat. Public lobbies are financial suicide.
Which Open Wheel car is the best? The Benefactor BR8. It handles beautifully, tunes predictably, and won’t fight you like a shopping trolley in the rain.
How much does a first-place win usually pay? Non-bonus weeks: ~$50,000 for a 10-lap race; 4× weeks: up to $200,000 for the same race. Laps, players, and finish order affect the payout.
Should I play in public races? Only if you're into emotional damage. Public lobbies = rammers, chaos, despair, and terrible hourly income. Use Invite Only or Crew Only for money.
What settings make the most money? Non-Contact ON; Catch-Up OFF; Slipstream OFF; 5 laps per race These settings maximize speed and replay rate, which maximizes cash.
Soft, Medium, or Hard tyres? Soft = fastest, melts quicker, great if you don’t drive like a goat; Medium = balanced, safe; Hard = for people who fear commitment and tyre wearSoft tyres = fastest money if you can handle them.
How many races can I run per hour? With 5-lap races: 8–12 per hour. With 10-lap races: 5–6 per hour. More races = more wins = more money.
Do pit stops really matter? Yes. Skipping a pit when your wheels look like hot charcoal costs you more time than the pit stop itself. A well-timed pit is often the difference between $50k and “why am I like this?”
Can I make money if I’m bad at racing? Yes — if you: play in Invite Only; use 5 laps; choose Medium/Hard tyres; don’t crash every 14 seconds. You can still earn $150k–$250k/hour with third-place finishes during bonus weeks.
What’s the ideal income strategy? Simple:Race ONLY during bonus weeks. Win as much as possible. Quit the moment your hourly rate drops.
Is this better than Heists? During 4× weeks → sometimes yes. During normal weeks → no, but it’s far less work than dealing with Lester, NPCs, or randoms with the IQ of warm yoghurt.
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