In Pixar’s Cars 2, Francesco Bernoulli is Lightning McQueen’s chief rival in the World Grand Prix.
Francesco is an open-wheel race car from Italy, and he is presented as an exceptionally fast and boastful champion. His confidence creates a strong competitive tension with Lightning before and during the World Grand Prix. Francesco’s design and racing style contrast with Lightning’s stock-car background.
The rivalry is part of the film’s racing storyline, while Mater becomes entangled in a spy plot involving Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. Francesco’s Italian identity also connects to the race in Porto Corsa, one of the championship’s three locations.
He is often confused with Jackson Storm, who is Lightning’s major rival in Cars 3, or Chick Hicks, the antagonist racer from the first film. Francesco appears specifically in Cars 2 and is voiced by John Turturro in the English version.