F1 Academy x Hello Kitty

On September 25, 2025, it was announced that F1 Academy and Hello Kitty will collaborate for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, taking place from November 20 to 22. This partnership will take place on the final race of the F1 Academy season and will feature a 36-piece merchandise collection, dedicated Kitty Grandstands, and interactive fan activations. Hello Kitty or Hello Kitty and Friends will feature beloved characters such as Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Kuromi, Pompompurin, Badtz-maru, and Pochacco as they will be on the merchandise as reimagined F1 Academy drivers and pit crew. A few items will be sweatshirts, collectible plushes, headwear and accessories. As fans will be able to shop in person and online for these pieces of merchandise. For the Kitty Grandstands, they will provide close-up views through turns 3 and 4. Activations include a Hello Kitty pop-up Cafe serving special themed treats, multiple photo opportunities, a super cute display of race helmets featuring Hello Kitty and Friends artwork and other fun surprise moments! There will be a specially designed Driver’s Licence photo booth that will offer fun, collectable souvenirs and Hello Kitty herself will join the F1 Academy.

This partnership within the F1 Academy & Hello Kitty is huge for a sport like F1 because of how male-dominated it is. The partnership is supposed to inspire and bring in younger girls, letting them know that it is okay to like F1 Academy and Hello Kitty, because if Hello Kitty can enjoy racing, why can’t other girls and women enjoy both? 

This partnership is supposed to celebrate creativity, inclusivity, individuality & ambition on one of the biggest stages of global sports, according to Craig Takiguchi, Chief Operating Officer at Sanrio, which is important to F1 Academy. F1 Academy is a racing series that showcases women of all backgrounds and their passion & love for F1, but more importantly, racing. This partnership gives fans, more importantly, women and young girls, the opportunity to embrace who they are & believe that their passions can take them anywhere. 

Hello Kitty is considered a role model for all genders, races and people of all ages, as she showcases comfort & positivity, which falls in line with the beliefs of the F1 Academy. But more importantly, Hello Kitty encourages a community. As stated above, Hello Kitty is a beloved character by millions of people worldwide and having her at the final race of the 2025 F1 Academy season symbolizes growing as a community and also the series of F1 Academy. It is highly important that F1 Academy continues to grow as a racing series for the future. Many young girls who are racing look up to both F1 Academy drivers and Hello Kitty as their role models, which showcases the importance of the series because it continues to give these young girls hope for what the series could become. Having a pop culture icon like Hello Kitty can give F1 Academy the spotlight and encourage other non-F1 Academy fans to watch the series.

An opportunity for a partnership like this for F1 Academy can also introduce non-F1 &/or racing fans to watch the sport due to Hello Kitty being at the event. Hello Kitty has an amazing exposure as the brand has 6.1 million followers on Instagram, while F1 Academy has one million. Not to mention, the sponsorship post has 193k likes on Hello Kitty’s Instagram, showcasing how big her brand is. Some non-racing/F1 fans commented under the post on how interested & excited they are for this collaboration, emphasizing that it is growing the exposure towards F1 Academy, which is exciting for F1 Academy & also the new fans who are interested in it. 

So, what does this partnership mean for the future of F1 Academy & girls in racing? 

This partnership means a lot for the future of F1 Academy & girls in racing because, as stated above, Hello Kitty is a big positive brand nationwide, as well as being a role model. Hello Kitty can serve as a role model for the future of F1 Academy & girls in racing, as she resembles many important positive attributes that can be inspiring, motivating, etc. for women & girls in motorsport. As for fans, Hello Kitty will possibly draw in more fans to F1 Academy, which is fantastic for the racing series, as more fans watching can increase exposure for F1 Academy & their drivers.

Personally, I am excited to see the collaboration between F1 Academy & Hello Kitty take place at the Las Vegas Grand Prix & see how it plays out on the broadcast & social media. I hope we also see a Hello Kitty livery for one of the F1 Academy cars!