Disney and Formula 1 Put Mickey Mouse in the Drivers' Seat for Make-A-Wish

For the newest Disney, Formula 1, and Make-A-Wish collaboration, the official voice of Mickey Mouse [Bret Iwan] designed his own racing helmet.

Disney and Formula 1 - Make-A-Wish Auction Helmet | Courtesy of Disney

Racing helmets in Formula 1 often hold deep meaning for the drivers who wear them. Lando Norris and his 'Race Against Dementia' helmet. Arvid Lindblad's 'first home race' helmet, tapping his childhood memories and Indian Heritage. Lewis Hamilton and his Mission 44 Helmets.

That idea is what drove Disney, F1, and Make-A-Wish to bring their own helmet to the 2026 British Grand Prix, with the intention of all 22 drivers signing it and then putting it up for auction. The center of its design? Mickey Mouse racing forward with a trailing Make-A-Wish star. A design put forth by the man [mouse] himself, Bret Iwan.

There will be two helmets coming out of this project, both hand-designed by Bret Iwan, the longtime official voice of Mickey Mouse, and under the creative direction of Bobby Kim, the Global Creative Director of Disney Consumer Products. One, signed by F1 drivers at Silverstone, including Make-A-Wish ambassador Pierre Gasly, will head to auction to 'grant wishes' for Make-A-Wish children. The other will debut at D23 in Anaheim in August to be gifted to a fan.

Disney, F1 Make-A-Wish Helmet signed by Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly | Courtesy of Disney

Grand Prix on SI sat down with both Iwan and Kim to discuss how something as small as a helmet carries a meaning this 'large' for both the Disney and Formula 1 teams.

Disney Merchandise that Tells A Story

Throughout much of the rollout of the Disney and Formula 1 collaboration during the 2026 F1 season, there has been a significant focus on both merchandising and storytelling through these consumer products.

The collaboration launched a bulk of its products with the 'Fuel the Magic' campaign launch around the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix's with several merchandise streams and WEBTOON comics that release in concert with each F1 Grand Prix.

Later, Disney tapped the characters of Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse to tell the story of the women in the F1 Academy Paddock. This partnership centered the ideas of friendship, visibility, confidence, and broadening who sees themselves in the sport.

Mickey Mouse on the Disney, Formula 1, Make-A-Wish Helmet | Courtesy of Disney

It is that idea of symbolism that has carried forth into the Make-A-Wish and Disney helmet designs. For Kim, the designs didn't start with a strategy deck but with the idea that out of the entire Disney library, Mickey Mouse was the only character that made sense to represent this collaboration.

"It should always start from an emotional, personal storytelling place. For almost a century now, he [Mickey] has stood as a source of eternal optimism, joy, and positivity."

Bobby Kim, Disney

He added that sport can be 'tribal by nature' and Mickey Mouse stands for something bigger — a figure that, regardless of team affiliation, every F1 fan, driver, and team member can root for.

Iwan, as the official voice of Mickey Mouse himself, built the design from the same emotional register, but through a different lens. He worked off what he considers to be Mickey's defining traits to bring together a design that can speak to the mouse himself.

"His curiosity leads him towards adventure. I have to ask the questions: What am I excited about? What are the fans going to be excited about? That is what I ask myself at the start of every project."

Bret Iwan, Voice of Mickey Mouse.

Even after seventeen years as the official voice of Mickey Mouse, his ethos hasn't changed when it comes to representing such a beloved character in any medium.

The 'Mutual Friend' We All Have

Ask either Kim or Iwan what this collaboration means to them, and it's not about the racing or the goal of having all 22 drivers sign the helmet at Silverstone. It's about the sense of 'togetherness' that the Disney brand and characters share with the sport of Formula 1.

Bret Iwan [Mickey Mouse] left and Bobby Kim right | Courtesy of Disney

Kim recounted walking the paddock at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and watching fans, team members, drivers, and more in rival team gear walking through the grounds – all stopping for just a moment when Mickey and Minnie Mouse walked by.

"This is the one thing that we have all co-signed together. Mickey is that mutual friend that we all have."

Bret Iwan, Voice of Mickey Mouse

That sentiment rings true. You would be hard-pressed to find someone — anywhere — who doesn't have some sort of recognition of a Disney character from their childhood. That idea ties back to 'why' Mickey is the centerpiece of the Make-A-Wish and Disney F1 Helmet.

According to Iwan, he has grown to deeply understand the 'pull' of the character that he represents, whether someone is 'five years old or seventy-five years old'. It brought him back to a line from Walt Disney himself:

"Mickey was a 'little personality assigned to the purpose of laughter.'"

Walt Disney

Disney F1 Make-A-Wish Helmet, Signed by Mickey Mouse | Courtesy of Disney

And when the entire idea behind raising money by auctioning off the signed helmet is to bring laughter and joy to children, the full picture starts to come together.

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The auction signup for the first helmet will open on July 7, with bidding from July 11 through 18 via F1 Authentics. The second helmet will go on display at D23 in Anaheim, August 14 - 16.

Net proceeds from the helmet auction will go directly to Make-A-Wish. This will mark the continuation of a relationship with Disney that began more than 45 years ago with the first Disney wish granted at Disneyland.