The upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix event will feature a fusion of music and motorsport, with artists like will.i.am, J Balvin and Kylie Minogue performing at various events.
ADVERTISEMENTBeyond the engineering, the athleticism, the speed, the luxury - fans love the sound of Formula One.
The fierce rhythms of a V-6 turbocharged hybrid engine; the sticky staccato of a rushed downshift; sexy, loud zooms. There’s a real musical appreciation for the elite motorsport. Engines are described using RPMs, the same way vinyl records are.
It is no wonder that F1 has long been an enthusiasm of musicians and music fans for decades - The Beatles ’ George Harrison wrote 'Faster' about the sport, what he called “a noisy rock ‘n’ roll”; the same spirit that inspired a Mario Andretti namecheck in A Tribe Called Quest’s 'Award Tour'.
But in the last few years, an accelerating interest in F1, particularly among young people and Americans, has made its influence on the music world - and vice versa - impossible to ignore.
When F1 collides with music
There’s Bad Bunny’s 'Monaco' and Carín León’s 'Por La Familia', both of which feature Red Bull driver Sergio “Checo” Perez in their videos. The up-and-coming indie twang band Wednesday released a track called 'Formula One' on their 2023 album.
Musicians loving F1 is limited to no genre and no country - its appeal is as global as the sport itself.
A prime example is this week’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will see F1 drivers zipping down the strip, bathed in the electric glow of its opulent casinos.
Music will mix with the motorsport at countless events, including an opening ceremony with will.i.am, J Balvin, Tiësto, John Legend, Keith Urban, Kylie Minogue, Thirty Seconds to Mars and more.
Global artist in residence
This year, rapper and record producer will.i.am became Formula One’s first Global Artist in Residence - a series of musical collaborations celebrating the sport as well as an opportunity to bring the concert aspect of F1 to a global audience - not just the ticket holders luckily enough to see it live.
The role led the Black Eyed Peas’ member to release his first solo single in over a decade: 'The Formula', featuring Lil Wayne. That was followed by 'Let’s Go', another F1-inspired track, which features J Balvin.
will.i.am has been a huge F1 fan since the Peas performed at the first Singapore Grand Prix held at the Marina Bay Circuit in 2008.
Since then, he’s noticed a disconnect between the live music and entertainment experiences at F1 races and what's broadcast on TV (namely, just the race itself) - as well as missed opportunity for artists.
“Why aren’t people releasing music around the time they’re playing their F1 event?” he asks, comparing it to the Super Bowl — for which artists frequently release new music in advance of their (televised) halftime performances. “Artists in Residency can really help bridge that gap.”
Tiësto, a lifelong F1 fan, released the album 'Drive' in April, featuring an F1 racing helmet on the cover. “It’s not just the car and racing, it’s about the environment around it, the excitement around it,” he says of a race weekend. “There’s an organic connection there.”
He believes the evolving experience of going to a Grand Prix mirrors growing interest in the sport, particularly in the US and with young people.
“They want to see the race, you know, but they want to party. They want to have a drink. It is the perfect moment to create a festival," he says.
Formula One drivers entering the music scene
Formula One drivers, too, have been getting into music.
Ferrari F1 driver Charles LeClerc signed with music management company Verdigris earlier this year and has been releasing instrumental compositions; Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, is no stranger to music making, having been featured on Christina Aguilera’s 2018 track 'Pipe' under the pseudonym XNDA.
ADVERTISEMENTChloe Stroll, the sister of Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, has built a nascent pop career celebrated by the sport’s fans.
“What made me like the sport was music. I went to the sport playing music,” says will.i.am.
“I’ve always loved cars, but why do I like F1 and not Indy (500)?” He asks. “What is it about F1 that makes me like the sport? That is their tiptoe into this cultural hug," he says, referencing F1's embrace of fashion, music, and art.
On Thursday night, producer Mark Ronson will perform at the T-Mobile Zone at the Sphere between two racing practice sessions. The mastermind behind the Barbie soundtrack already knows there’s a big crossover between music fans and F1 fans.
Now “we’ll find out the cross-section of F1 and ‘Barbie’ fans,” he jokes.
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