Disney and Formula 1 are turning this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix into a celebration of Cars, with Lightning McQueen making a trackside appearance at Monza and a specially designed safety car marking the film’s 20th anniversary.
The activation runs September 4 through 6 and lines up with Lightning McQueen Day on September 5, part of the Disney x Formula 1 collaboration that was recently extended through 2028 and now includes Cars for the first time. Lightning McQueen himself will be at Monza sporting a new look inspired by the crossover, including an honorary lap during race weekend, a real-world moment for a character who has spent two decades as one of Pixar’s biggest names.
The bigger surprise is the Official FIA Formula 1 Safety Car. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+, which debuted earlier this season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, is getting a one-weekend-only Cars-inspired paint job for Monza. It is the 14th safety car to carry Mercedes’ three-pointed star and the first equipped with fully variable all-wheel drive, so seeing it repainted for a Pixar tie-in is a notable move for a role that usually stays strictly business.
Disney and Pixar are also rolling out a Cars x Formula 1 merchandise collection at Monza, with apparel, accessories, collectibles and Mattel die-cast cars available trackside all weekend. Fans who cannot make it to Italy can shop select pieces from the collection through the Formula 1 Official Online Store and DisneyStore.com starting around Lightning McQueen Day.
The Monza activation lands in the middle of a bigger 20th anniversary push for Cars. The original film returned to theaters starting September 4, the same weekend as the Italian Grand Prix, giving fans a rare chance to see Radiator Springs on the big screen again two decades after its original release. Theater chains marked the occasion with their own Cars 20th anniversary popcorn buckets, including a Lightning McQueen character bucket and a Lightning McQueen and Mater metal tin, so fans have been able to celebrate the milestone at the multiplex before this weekend’s Formula 1 tie-in even started.
Our take: this is the clearest sign yet that Disney sees real momentum behind Cars again, and it lines up with what we have been tracking on the parks side with Piston Peak National Park, the Cars-themed land replacing Rivers of America in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. A Formula 1 activation this size does not happen for a franchise Disney is quietly retiring. If anything, it points to Lightning McQueen having a bigger few years ahead, both on track and at Walt Disney World.
