The Grand Prix Festival Economy Evolves As Disney Builds Season-Long Story

Today’s announcement of the expanded “Fuel the Magic” programme between Disney and Formula 1 signals how far the commercial model around a Grand Prix has evolved. What began as a high-impact moment in Las Vegas is now being structured as a season-long presence, combining digital storytelling, product releases and live entertainment across multiple races.

Over many seasons of following Formula 1, and watching the crowd composition change as much as the competitive order, the shape of a race weekend has altered noticeably. The audience now spans a far broader mix of ages and backgrounds than it once did, and that shift is visible not only in the grandstands but in the surrounding programme. What was once a tightly contained sporting window has expanded into something closer to a travelling festival economy. The race still provides the fixed moment, but the real growth now sits around it – hospitality tiers, fashion drops, retail environments, late-night programming and brand spaces designed for people to move through rather than simply observe.

As explored in The Grand Prix Effect: How Motorsport Weekends Became the New Festival Circuit for Brands, the commercial centre of gravity has been shifting for some time. Dwell time has lengthened, spending has spread across multiple categories and audiences have begun to arrive who do not identify primarily as motorsport fans.

Changing Audience Explains the Direction

Formula 1’s global audience is now in the region of 820 million. More telling is the composition of new growth: around 57% of new fans are under 35 and close to half are women. In the United States the fan base has passed 50 million, increasing by roughly ten percent year on year.

For brand partners this alters the opportunity set. Categories that once sat outside motorsport, be that fashion, beauty, lifestyle or entertainment can now enter with credibility. It also supports longer licensing cycles because engagement is being built within demographics that participate continuously rather than episodically.

Many newer fans encounter the sport first through narrative, social content and personality. The activity surrounding the race has expanded quickly because it meets them at that point of entry rather than expecting technical knowledge from the outset.

Alongside this, the narrative continues on WEBTOON, a global mobile comics platform where stories are released in short, regular chapters. Those instalments appear between Grands Prix, maintaining a gentle thread of engagement so the atmosphere of one race carries into the next.

Disney as a Connecting Layer

The “Fuel the Magic” programme begins with a racing-themed content launch at the Australian Grand Prix and continues across the 2026 calendar, moving next to China and then to selected races through the season. It combines a digital storyline, new product ranges and live entertainment moments that are adapted to each host city and to the different personalities within the Mickey and Friends universe.

Disney brings an understanding of live entertainment that is built on pacing, atmosphere and shared experience. Its presence shifts the tone of the environment, introducing moments that sit comfortably alongside the racing rather than competing with it.

And of course, Disney’s iconic characters provide an immediate point of recognition across cultures and age groups. They create a sense of familiarity in a setting that can otherwise feel technical or exclusive to new audiences. For promoters and host cities, that wider appeal extends dwell time and supports a fuller programme beyond the race itself.

Where Seoul Eyewear Design Meets Disney Storytelling

A fresh collaboration between Gentle Monster and Disney sits at the design-led centre of the partner activities.

Gentle Monster is the Seoul-founded eyewear brand known for its experimental approach to product and retail, brings a distinctly contemporary design language to the Formula 1 environment.

The 2026 Circuit Collection comprises eight styles developed around the structural language of a Formula 1 car. Frames use lightweight performance materials, exposed construction and curved profiles that reference aerodynamic form rather than conventional fashion silhouettes.

The physical launch in Seoul and Shanghai pairs full-scale Formula 1 cars with character sculpture, creating a direct visual link between engineering, entertainment and fashion while anchoring the collection in two key global markets.

Uniqlo and Everyday Distribution

Uniqlo’s involvement feels entirely natural. The brand has built its reputation on well-made, accessible essentials and on graphic T-shirts that carry cultural references without becoming novelty items. Its long relationship with Disney means those characters already exist within a format people trust and wear regularly.

For a fan base that is largely global and often following at a distance, that kind of visibility matters. It provides a straightforward way to take part and keeps the reference to the sport in circulation between events.

Trackside Meets Retail Theatre

Event merchandise has moved on from disposable souvenirs to considered product. Fabric, fit and graphic design are now treated with the same care as mainstream apparel, which allows pieces to be worn beyond the weekend rather than stored as memorabilia.

At the circuit, retail areas are curated to reflect the host city and the hierarchy of access, with certain items linked to specific locations or ticket levels. For the far larger remote audience, online releases provide a parallel route to participation.

With several races attracting more than 400,000 spectators and a global fan base exceeding 800 million, these product ranges carry much of the everyday visibility of the sport. For most followers, merchandise is the primary physical expression of fandom.

The Fashion of Formula 1

The cultural reach of the current grid is measurable. Lewis Hamilton’s social following exceeds 40 million on Instagram, Charles Leclerc sits above 20 million and Lando Norris is into eight figures. Those audiences engage with them as style figures and personalities as much as drivers, which expands the visibility of the sport well beyond race broadcast.

That shift has drawn fashion houses and lifestyle brands into the paddock. Hamilton’s work with global luxury labels, Leclerc’s tailoring partnerships and Norris’s streetwear collaborations each bring different aesthetics and audiences. Teamwear has evolved alongside this, with capsule collections and limited drops appearing in ways that mirror broader fashion cycles.

Las Vegas accelerated the direction by placing Formula 1 within a setting already defined by music residencies, luxury retail and red-carpet arrivals. Other races have followed with curated hospitality, brand installations and entertainment programming that sit comfortably within that wider cultural frame.

Having personally tracked the changes in the paddock over many seasons, this is one of the more energising changes. The space now accommodates tailoring, streetwear and technical kit with equal confidence, and the conversation extends into fashion media and retail environments that once sat entirely outside motorsport.

The effect is cumulative. The sport is now encountered in fashion media, on social platforms and in retail environments as well as on track. For newer audiences, those are often the first points of contact.