Cars 2 introduced Francesco Bernoulli, Lightning McQueen’s Italian racing rival.
Francesco is a Formula-style race car who competes against Lightning in the World Grand Prix. He is designed as a confident, boastful champion and speaks with an Italian accent. The character is voiced by John Turturro.
Cars 2 shifts the franchise from Radiator Springs toward an international racing and espionage story. Lightning competes in races in Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London, while Mater becomes involved in a spy mission involving an alternative fuel called Allinol.
Francesco is not a character from the first Cars, which focuses on Lightning’s arrival in Radiator Springs and his rivalry with Chick Hicks and The King. He also does not appear as a principal rival in Cars 3, which centers on Lightning’s challenge from Jackson Storm.