The Disneyfication of F1: Goofy in the pitlane and Fantasia in Vegas underline sport’s US transformation | Formula One 2025

TThe remarkable nature of the transformation of Formula 1’s fortunes in the United States could not have been better illustrated than by the incongruous sight of Mickey Mouse and an assortment of his Disney friends leading a band of enthusiastic fans on a stroll down pit lane at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

F1 successfully held a race in Sin City and the United States now has three sold-out meetings, a testament to the sport’s burgeoning prosperity. For all the somewhat surreal side of seeing Donald Duck and Goofy outside the garages, the fact that Disney chose F1 as a partner is indicative of the radical change the sport has brought to a market it has long coveted.

Just ten years ago, it would have been unthinkable that an American institution like Disney would have chosen to attach itself to F1, which was hardly a niche sport in North America. However, this weekend in Vegas marks the start of a two-year collaboration. Mickey and his friends from the Disneyland Band will perform the national anthem before the race and participate in the drivers’ post-race celebrations at the Bellagio Fountains.

That sports and Disney celebrate here is entirely appropriate. The streets of Las Vegas, under neon lights and roving spotlights, are teeming with racing fans. The rain that fell this week, giving a boost to Nevada’s buildings and desert, did little to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. These fans are at the forefront of F1’s popularity in the United States.

The sport has just signed a new deal with Apple worth $160m (£122m) a year over five years for US TV rights. It’s a huge investment by the tech company, which believes the sport now appeals to its audience, while F1 believes it’s the best way to connect with its new American fan base. Apple has hosted Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer before, but a full season of every live F1 session for all subscribers is on a whole new level.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of services, recently pointed out that during a dinner with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in New York, the Austrian was constantly stopped to take photos. “Five years ago, no one knew who Toto was as he walked around Soho,” Cue said. “There is huge potential for this sport in the United States in particular.”

Research indicates that since 2017, when Liberty Media took over F1, the number of US companies sponsoring or partnering with teams has increased from 44 to 125 this year. This number is expected to increase, particularly with the arrival of the American brand Cadillac on the grid next year.

Leading this resurgence is Formula 1 group chief executive Stefano Domenicali, a former Ferrari team principal. The Italian, who had the courage and commitment to believe a race in Vegas could be staged, believes there is more to come. “There are no limits,” he says. “I want us to have over a billion fans worldwide and growing our fandom in the United States can definitely help us achieve that. We believe that once we introduce people to the world of F1, they will be hooked.”

“I am always struck by Americans’ love of their sport and how deeply it is a part of everyday life. We must continue to evolve what we offer to reach a point where we have given existing and new passionate fans so many reasons and opportunities to watch and hear about F1 that we have become an integral part of American culture.”

On the streets of Las Vegas this weekend, his vision can be seen on full display. F1 is grabbing what is considered the golden ticket in terms of demographics: 47% of new American F1 fans are aged 18 to 24 and more than half are women. These are numbers that cricket and rugby would kill for. They are enthusiastic, with a fervor for young drivers, freed from the burden of F1’s long and justly famous legacy. Drive to Survive or this year’s blockbuster F1 movie starring Brad Pitt could have lured them in, but F1 is doing everything it can to keep them coming back.

Speaking to fans at the track, the draw is less about the loyalty of tribal drivers, national teams or teams and more about just having a good time. They revel in the spectacle, the lights, the music, the food and drink that F1 has made a point of bringing to Las Vegas as part of what is derided in the most derided circles as “entertainment.” Here, no one cares, partnerships with Disney, Hello Kitty and Lego are welcome and associated merchandise sells by the armload.

This reflects a conscious change in direction that has worked so well. “When this sport came to the country before, we thought we could just do a four-day race and everyone would love us,” says Domenicali. “Now we know we need to continue to engage with our American fans and American culture until F1 becomes relevant and a part of it. The biggest thing we’ve changed is how we interact with fans and how we reach out to new audiences. We now speak with our American fans all year round, 24/7.”

That it was a success manifests itself in a hugely impressive result, based in part on F1’s gamble to succeed in the United States, appropriately supported in Las Vegas by the sport itself promoting the race here. F1 now has a market value of $24 billion, a figure that has grown 25% over the past year and is now three times what Liberty Media paid in 2017. These figures are fueled by industry giants such as Disney.

Of course, this has been accompanied by criticism, including that the sport’s European centers have been marginalized at the expense of growth in the United States and the quest for Middle Eastern petrodollars. Yet the desire to expand in the United States, at least, has always been perhaps F1’s holy grail. Mickey in the pit lane? Times have changed and it’s Fantasia in Vegas for F1.