Cars 2 introduced the World Grand Prix as its central racing event.
The World Grand Prix is organized by oil magnate Miles Axlerod to promote Allinol, a new alternative fuel. Lightning McQueen joins the competition and races against international competitors, including Francesco Bernoulli.
The event gives Cars 2 a worldwide structure, moving the story through Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London. It also links the racing plot to the film’s spy storyline, because Mater discovers a conspiracy involving Allinol and a group of criminal cars known as the lemons.
The World Grand Prix is fictional, although its format draws on real international motorsport events. It should not be confused with the Piston Cup, the domestic racing championship central to the first Cars. Cars 3 returns to the Piston Cup world and focuses more closely on Lightning’s career transition.