This Week in Motorsport
PepsiCo, Disney among consumer brands Formula 1 adds to its roster
Welcome to Business of Speed.
In today’s issue:
PepsiCo joins Formula 1’s impressive brand roster, including newly signed Disney
Indianapolis 500 sees big numbers
Could Morocco be back on the F1 calendar?
Can Monaco be fixed?
If someone forwarded you this email, consider supporting independent coverage and analysis of the business of Formula 1.
PepsiCo Joins Formula 1’s Impressive Brand Roster
In a sweeping multi-year global deal running through 2030, PepsiCo has signed on as an official partner of Formula 1.
The move positions PepsiCo’s products—Sting Energy, Gatorade, and Doritos—at the heart of a global motorsport ecosystem that now spans 21 nations, 200+ territories, and a cumulative audience of 1.6 billion.
Sting Energy becomes the Official Energy Drink of F1, activating across a fanbase that already mirrors the brand’s explosive growth in key emerging markets like India, Pakistan, and Egypt.
Gatorade steps into the F1 Sprint, debuting this season at Spa, Austin, São Paulo, and Qatar.
Doritos takes the pole position as Official Savory Snack, amplifying flavor through trackside activations, digital content, and co-branded products.
From exclusive track-pouring rights (beginning in 2026) to immersive Fan Zone experiences and expanded support for the F1 Academy, this partnership extends beyond marketing into culture-building. It’s a bet on fandom as a lifestyle and F1 as culture.
Formula Mickey
Formula 1 and Disney are teaming up for a commercial collaboration in 2026, blending the world’s fastest sport with the world’s most recognizable cartoon mouse. There are no firm details yet—but fans can expect a whirlwind of content, merch, and magical crossovers featuring Mickey & Friends.
Formula 1 has been seeking to expand its fan base, and this is the ideal partnership to achieve that goal.
F1 wants kids. Disney wants cool.
And both want scale.
F1’s Gen Z takeover is real. Over 4 million children aged 8–12 now follow the sport across the United States and the European Union. TikTok and Instagram numbers skew young—under-25s make up over half of F1’s TikTok base. Disney sees a perfect on-ramp to relevance.
Meanwhile, F1 sees an empire of touchpoints, including Disney theme parks, franchises like Cars and Star Wars, and a global licensing machine that already generates billions of dollars a year from Mickey-branded merchandise.
Emily Prazer, F1’s Chief Commercial Officer, put it plainly:
“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. It’s a fantastic match as both brands are known for pushing boundaries and bringing entertainment and excitement to millions.”
And it’s not the first time F1 has flirted with theme parks. A Dubai-based F1 park called F1-X almost happened in the 2000s before the project collapsed. Even a French Grand Prix near Disneyland Paris was explored. The vision’s been there—just waiting for the right partner.
Enter the perfect partner: Disney.
“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,” says Tasia Filippatos, Disney’s president of consumer products. “This exciting collaboration will unfold across a global stage, with unforgettable content and experiences tailored for Disney and F1 fans alike.”
Translation? Brace for Mickey at Monza. Lightning McQueen at Silverstone. Maybe even Goofy waving the checkered flag.
Indy’s Big Day
The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 was not only a spectacle of speed and skill but also a landmark event in terms of financial reward, as the total prize purse soared to a record-breaking $20,283,000. The average payout for the 33 drivers rose by $600,000.
This significant amount represents a major milestone for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” highlighting the ongoing growth and prestige of this globally recognized event.
Newly crowned champion Alex Palou, who achieved his first career victory at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, received an impressive reward of $3.8 million.
FOX Makes an Impact
Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks had grand plans for transforming the Indy 500 in the network's inaugural year as a partner.
Fox began the year with a striking ad campaign showcasing multiple IndyCar stars, which aired during the Super Bowl and leveraged the full impact of its analysts’ star power for the event. This included appearances by Tom Brady and Michael Strahan in pre-race roles, among other initiatives.
It all seemed to pay off when Nielsen’s Fast National ratings revealed the number of average viewers: 7.05 million, the most to watch an Indy 500 in 17 years (7.2 million in 2008).
“Marketing is neat,” posted Alexander Rossi.
Viewership for the Indy 500 increased by 40 percent compared to last year’s NBC broadcast; however, it's important to note that last year's race experienced a four-hour delay. Another significant detail affects a different statistic: while the Indy 500 surpassed the Daytona 500 in viewership this year amid competition between the two top American motor races, the Daytona 500, which aired on Fox, faced a 3.5-hour rain delay in February.
Can Monaco be Fixed?
Alex Wurz thinks so.
While the majority of online chatter has focused on Monaco being outdated, many believe it’s the size of the cars that no longer work.
Former BMX world champ, 2x LeMans winner, Toyota WEC Team advisor, and GPDA chairman Alex Wurz has a proposal.
What do you think? Can Monaco be saved?
Back to Morocco
In 1958, just two years after gaining independence from France, Morocco made a statement. It hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix on the streets of Casablanca—its first and only World Championship race.
Now, more than six decades later, the idea is back on the table. And this time, it might stick.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali reiterated that the sport is actively courting Africa. However, it must be the right plan in a stable country. Morocco, it turns out, checks a lot of boxes.
While we’ve heard a lot about South Africa and Rwanda, both face political and logistical hurdles. Morocco, by contrast, offers momentum.
The country is booming. It just posted a record 17.4 million visitors, leads Africa in car manufacturing, and has become the EU’s most significant vehicle exporter. Tangier alone is a logistical dream—connected by highway, high-speed rail, and served by an international airport.
More importantly, Morocco isn’t just flirting with the idea. It’s building for it.
A proposed $1.5 billion development at Al Houara—backed by Qatari investment and advised by former F1 exec Eric Boullier—includes an F1-grade circuit modeled after Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Hotels. Malls. Convention centers. And jobs—10,000 of them.
There’s poetic symmetry in Morocco’s possible return. The Ain-Diab circuit was symbolic of post-colonial confidence. A future Grand Prix could be symbolic of something else: Africa’s reentry into a global sport that’s never quite made space for the continent.
If Morocco pulls this off, it won’t just be the first African race since Kyalami in the '90s—it might be the most commercially coherent one ever. A European-adjacent, logistics-friendly, tourism-heavy launchpad with one foot in Africa and one in the global north.