F1 Has Become So American That It Now Offers Its Own KFC Meal

      KFC/YouTube

      

      

      

      

      

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      I recall as a child when people would ask about my favorite sport. I would simply respond with “car racing,” never feeling the need to clarify it was Formula 1, as most people in the U.S. were unfamiliar with it back then. Most of the time, the response would be, “Oh, you like NASCAR!” That has changed now, as F1 has officially integrated into American culture.

      The racing series owned by Liberty Media is now as well-known across the nation as the NFL, and I don’t require any ridiculous studies or viewership data to back this up. All I need is the KFC commercial featured below, which advertises the KFC Fill Up Box Box Box. Get it? Box box box.

      What could be more American than KFC? Oh, you suggest McDonald’s? Well, there are rumors that the Golden Arches are also launching an F1-themed Happy Meal.

      I can hear your thoughts: the KFC ad promotes the F1 movie rather than the F1 series itself. Sure, but in essence, they are quite similar, as the film was developed to market the series from the outset.

      

      

      

      

      

      

      Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the movie stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris and took two years to complete, while an “11th F1 team” traveled around the world for 16 months capturing real racing scenes during actual race weekends. Some estimates place the total cost of the film at approximately $300 million.

      Having followed F1 since the late ’80s and witnessing its remarkable growth in the U.S. thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive, these ads signify a culmination of sorts. F1 has permeated mainstream media and now penetrated the marketing-driven fast-food sector. It simply doesn’t get more American than that.

      F1, you’ve made it.

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