Mobile Suit Gundam Teams Up With Formula 1's Scuderia AlphaTauri for 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Bandai Namco Entertainment America has announced a partnership between the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise and Formula 1 racing team Scuderia AlphaTauri S.p.A. for this month’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The sponsorship will involve decals of the iconic RX-78-2 Gundam and the more recent XVX-016 Gundam Aerial from Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury, which will be placed on the headrests of the Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04s, beside the racers’ helmets. Beyond that, there are plans to have Gundam statues (each with a height nearing seven feet) at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, livery decals for the AT04s, two GUNDAM BASE POP-UP Stores around the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and Scuderia AlphaTauri-inspired artwork of RX-78-2 and Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda.
Tsunoda is also involved in the collaboration in a more direct manner, appearing in the promotional video below while donning an Amuro Ray-inspired race suit.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bandai Namco is also using the opportunity to put out a new Gunpla model, although this one will be for display purposes only. The collaboration Gunpla is a custom Perfect-Grade Unleashed Mobile Suit RX-78-2 Gundam that bears exclusive Scuderia AlphaTauri decals and colors, and it’ll be featured at the event’s pop-up stores.
In a press release, Bandai Namco Entertainment America’s senior vice president of corporate development Karim Farghaly said, “One of the longest running Sci-Fi franchises in the world, GUNDAM has always been able to connect with fans all around the globe with its featured themes of heroism, standing up to adversity, and overcoming tremendous odds, mirroring in fiction the real-life challenges Formula 1 drivers face each and every race. We partnered with Scuderia AlphaTauri because of their vision and cooperation to help bring GUNDAM to the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in a way that will be memorable and meaningful to both Formula 1 fans and GUNDAM fans alike.”
The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix will be held from November 16 to 18 in Nevada.
