Yes, you read that right – Formula 1 has announced it has struck a partnership with Disney that will see Mickey & Friends make an appearance in the world’s fastest motor racing series next year. And yeah, this writer had to do a double take, too.
Before you get the wrong idea, no, Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy aren’t suddenly going to be duking it out against Verstappen & Co on racetracks across the globe. Instead, this is simply a marketing collaboration that will put Walt Disney’s iconic characters on F1’s “experiences, content and merchandise” worldwide, the two companies said in a statement. Guess we’ll all be trying to find the Hidden Mickey from next year onwards.
This unlikely pairing was driven by a “huge surge in growth with younger fans” F1 has seen in recent years, with data showing that more than four million children aged eight to 12 are now actively following the sport in Europe and the US. It also claimed that 54% of its followers on TikTok and 40% on Instagram are now under the age of 25.
The ever-younger audience has been mirrored by F1’s shift in its marketing deals towards those that appeal to kids, including with Lego and Hot Wheels just this past year. This goes hand in hand with the greater commercialisation of the sport as a whole, which saw it add LVMH to its books this year; it will also be the subject a movie starring Brad Pitt that will be out June 25.
“As we celebrate nearly a century of Mickey Mouse & Friends, our collaboration with Formula 1 offers a unique opportunity to bring two powerhouse entertainment properties together to create products that fans will love,” said Disney Consumer Products president Tasia Filippatos. “This exciting collaboration will unfold across a global stage, with unforgettable content and experiences tailored for Disney and F1 fans alike.”
Formula 1’s chief commercial officer Emily Prazer added, “Our collaboration with Disney is set to be a brilliant one, as we introduce the world of Mickey & Friends to our fans, and vice versa. It fits perfectly with our strategy to step outside the world of sport and into a broader consumer market, and in return we’re introducing Disney to our 820 million fans worldwide.”
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