Disneyfication of F1: Idiot in pit lane and Fantasia in Vegas underscore the transformation of the sport in the US | Formula One 2025
TThe remarkable nature of the turnaround in Formula 1’s fortunes in the United States could not have been better illustrated than by the incongruous sight of Mickey Mouse and his assorted Disney pals leading a gang of excited fans on a walk down the pit lane at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
That Formula 1 successfully hosted a race in Sin City, and the US now boasts three sell-out meetings is a testament to the thriving prosperity of the sport. For all the somewhat surreal quality of seeing Donald Duck and Goofy out of garages, the fact that Disney has chosen Formula 1 as a partner speaks to the sea change the sport has brought to the market it has long coveted.
A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable that an American corporation like Disney would choose to hitch its wagon to Formula 1, which was hardly a niche sport in North America. However, this weekend in Vegas marks the beginning of a two-year collaboration. Mickey and his Disneyland bandmates will perform the national anthem before the race and will appear as part of the drivers’ post-race celebrations at the Bellagio Fountains.
The celebration of sports and Disney here is quite appropriate. Under the neon lights and roving floodlights, the streets of Las Vegas are filled with race fans. The rains that fell this week, making the buildings cleaner and the Nevada desert a welcoming place, have singularly failed to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. These fans are at the forefront of Formula 1’s popularity in the United States.
Sports has just signed a new deal with Apple for $160m (£122m) a year over five years for TV rights in the US. It is a massive investment by the technology company, which believes the sport is now attractive to its audience, while Formula 1 is convinced it is the best way to connect with its new fan base in the US. Apple has previously hosted some of Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, but a full season of each live F1 session for all participants is on a completely different level.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of services, recently pointed out that while having dinner with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in New York, the Austrian was stopped the entire time to take pictures. “Five years ago, no one knew who Toto was when he walked through SoHo,” Keogh said. “There is huge potential for this sport in the United States specifically.”
Research suggests that since 2017, when Liberty Media acquired Formula 1, the number of US companies sponsoring or partnering with teams has risen from 44 to 125 this year. This number is expected to rise, especially with the American brand Cadillac joining the network next year.
At the head of this renaissance was the CEO of the Formula One Group, Stefano Domenicali, the former Ferrari team principal. The Italian, who had the courage and commitment to believe a race could be held in Vegas, believes there is more to come. “The sky is the limit,” he says. “I want us to have over a billion fans around the world, and growing our fan base in the US can certainly help us achieve that. We believe that once we introduce people to the world of Formula 1, they will be drawn to it.
“I am always amazed by the American love for their sport and how deeply it is a part of everyday life. We need to continue to develop what we offer to get to a point where we give passionate fans, both existing and new, emerging so many reasons and opportunities to watch and listen to Formula 1 that we become part of American culture.”
And on the streets of Las Vegas this weekend, his vision can be seen very clearly. Formula 1 is grabbing what is considered the golden ticket in terms of demographics – 47% of new US Formula 1 fans are between the ages of 18 and 24 and more than half are female. These are the numbers you would kill for in cricket and rugby. They are enthusiastic, with an enthusiasm for young drivers, unencumbered by the baggage of F1’s long and rightly celebrated legacy. Drive to Survive or this year’s blockbuster F1 film starring Brad Pitt may have lured them there, but F1 is working to keep them coming back.
When talking to fans at the track, the draw is less about tribal driver or national or group loyalties than simply having a good time. They enjoy the spectacle, lights, show, music, food and drink that Formula 1 is keen to provide in Las Vegas as part of what more cynical circles deride as “entertainment”. Here no one cares, partnerships with Disney, Hello Kitty and Lego are welcomed and associated merchandise is widely sold.
It reflects a conscious change in direction that has worked well. “When the sport came to the country before, we thought we could just come for four days of racing and everyone would love us,” Domenicali says. “Now we know we have to continue to engage with our American fans and American culture for Formula 1 to become relevant and a part of it, so the biggest thing we’ve changed is how we interact with fans and how we talk to new audiences. We now talk to our American fanbase year-round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
The success of this is evidenced by the very impressive final result, founded in part on Formula 1’s bet on reaching the US, a bet appropriately backed in Las Vegas by the same sport that promotes racing here. Formula 1’s market capitalization now stands at $24 billion, a figure that has risen 25% in the past year and is now three times what Liberty Media paid in 2017. These numbers are fueled by corporate giants like Disney.
However, naturally, criticism has come, not least that the sport’s European centers have become marginalized at the expense of growth in the United States and the pursuit of petrodollars in the Middle East. However, perhaps the drive to expand into the US at least has always been the holy grail of Formula 1. Mickey in the pit lane? Times have changed and it’s a Vegas fantasy of Formula 1.