Cars 2 introduced the character Francesco Bernoulli.
Francesco is an Italian Formula-style race car and one of Lightning McQueen's principal rivals in the film. He competes in the World Grand Prix, an international race series organized around alternative fuel technology and staged in locations including Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London.
The character is voiced by John Turturro. His confidence, theatrical personality, and repeated claims of superiority create a comic rivalry with Lightning. Francesco's design draws on open-wheel racing cars rather than the stock cars that dominate the Piston Cup setting of the first film.
Cars 2 expands the franchise beyond Radiator Springs and professional stock-car racing. Its story also follows Mater, who becomes involved in an international espionage plot. Because Francesco is introduced in Cars 2, he does not appear as a new rival in the original Cars or in Cars 3.