The Grand Prix of Italy Formula 1 weekend at the Monza Circuit will have a special guest as Pixar celebrates a major anniversary.
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Lightning McQueen, the star of the Cars movie franchise, will be on site for the F1 weekend as the biggest stars in the series continue with the 2026 season. Although he will take on an unexpected role.
F1 revealed on Thursday that the red race car will take over the Grand Prix of Italy weekend as Disney and Pixar celebrate Cars' 20th anniversary. Lightning McQueen, a seven-time Piston Cup champion, will complete an honorary lap around the Monza Circuit while setting up the Grand Prix.
However, the iconic vehicle will feature some changes for the weekend. It will have safety lights on the roof and decals designating it as a Formula 1 track vehicle.
The official safety car of the racing series will also undergo a significant change for the weekend. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ will have a bespoke Cars livery.
Photo credit: F1
As expected, McQueen showing up at the Grand Prix of Italy sparked some excitement among people. This includes F1 driver Liam Lawson, who took the opportunity to pose for photos with McQueen. He even held the Piston Cup in his hand while embracing the full experience.
Released in 2006, Cars starred Owen Wilson as McQueen. The brash race car gets stranded in a small town and quickly learns some important life lessons. Most notable among the lessons is that winning is not the only thing that matters.
The Pixar film had a packed list of voice actors, including Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy, and George Carlin. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty also joined in while voicing a character.
The F1 weekend in Italy is not the first time that McQueen has hit the track. The character has previously made appearances at multiple NASCAR events. This includes the inaugural Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022.
Though the version that has appeared at NASCAR events has shied away from becoming a safety car. It has remained true to the Pixar film's design.
Life imitating art. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/VHyaEWdiKn
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 4, 2022
