Editorial
Formula 1 and EDM: Where Racing Meets Dance Music
Formula 1 and EDM: Where Racing Meets Dance Music across race weekends, driver moments, and global DJ crossovers
The worlds of Formula 1 and EDM have often crossed paths, but what once felt occasional has steadily become part of how modern race weekends are built. What used to sit on the sidelines as post-race entertainment now sits much closer to the centre, with electronic music appearing across opening ceremonies, headline concerts, and moments tied directly to the race itself. Events such as the Singapore Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and Las Vegas Grand Prix have played a clear role in that shift, each one placing major DJs within the same space and schedule as the sport rather than separating the two. Artists like Tiësto and Calvin Harris have not just been booked to perform, but positioned in ways that connect their sets to race-day moments, whether on the grid, during ceremonies, or across the wider weekend programme. Beyond the track, links such as McLaren working with Tomorrowland show how this crossover extends into branding and global visibility. The result is a clear overlap where Formula 1 and EDM now operate side by side, sharing the same audiences, stages, and global reach.
Alan Walker Premieres Formula 1 Inspired Song “The Sting Within Me” At 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix
Location: Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona
Alan Walker premiered his new Formula 1 inspired song “The Sting Within Me” during the 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix weekend at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, releasing the song with STING Energy, Formula 1, and Warner Music India. The idea traces back to an Armin van Buuren video, where Armin pointed out that the sound of a Formula 1 engine seemed to echo “STINGGG” as the car accelerated. Alan Walker later came across the clip and turned that comparison into a full release using real race audio and engine sounds from Formula 1. By premiering the song at the Barcelona Grand Prix, the release had a direct connection to the race weekend itself, with Grand Prix spectators hearing a song based on the same engine sounds they had been hearing across the circuit. With STING Energy serving as the Official Energy Drink of Formula 1 and an Official Team Partner of Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, “The Sting Within Me” connected Armin van Buuren’s original observation, Alan Walker’s production, and Formula 1’s wider push into music and fan entertainment.
Max Verstappen Joins Armin van Buuren After Winning Mexico GP 2018
Location: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
After taking victory at the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix, Max Verstappen celebrated in front of a packed Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren was performing as part of the race weekend. Instead of remaining within the usual post-race setting, Max Verstappen moved from the podium celebrations into Armin van Buuren’s DJ booth, with the same crowd that had watched the race now following the moment on stage. The visual of a race winner stepping directly into a DJ set, with Dutch flags still visible across the grandstands, gave the scene a level of authenticity that connected both worlds without needing a separate setup or dedicated segment. With Max Verstappen and Armin van Buuren representing the Netherlands at the highest level in their respective fields, the moment carried a natural link between Formula 1 and EDM, showing how both could exist within the same environment and reach the same audience at the same time.
Hardwell Performs on the Formula 1 Podium at Mexico Grand Prix 2017
Location: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
At the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix, Hardwell made history by performing the first ever DJ set on a Formula 1 podium at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, following the official trophy ceremony inside the Foro Sol stadium section of the circuit. The setup placed the DJ booth within the same structure used for driver celebrations, with the performance taking place in front of around 30,000 to 40,000 spectators who remained in the grandstands after the race. The appearance formed part of Heineken’s “More Than A Race” campaign, introduced after the brand became a global Formula 1 partner in 2016, with the aim of extending the race-day experience through live music inside the circuit. The 2017 race was won by Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton secured the championship that same day, giving the podium sequence added significance before Hardwell’s set began. With the Mexico City round regularly drawing weekend attendance figures above 300,000, the Foro Sol section provided one of the most concentrated crowd settings on the calendar. The moment marked a clear shift in how EDM could be placed inside Formula 1, not as a separate concert after the race, but as part of the podium celebration itself.
David Guetta and Romain Grosjean Feature in “Dangerous” Formula 1 Music Video
Location: Circuito de Jerez, Spain
Released in 2014, David Guetta’s Dangerous featuring Sam Martin used Formula 1 as the full setting for its official music video, with Romain Grosjean appearing on screen alongside David Guetta. Filmed at Circuito de Jerez in Spain, the production included real Lotus F1 cars and a staged race sequence that runs throughout the video, placing David Guetta inside the role of a driver while Romain Grosjean appears within the same race environment. The video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who built the storyline around a competitive race structure, from garage scenes through to the podium. Within the EDM scene, this stood out because Formula 1 was not used as background visuals, but as the core setting of the video itself, with an active F1 driver, circuit, and race format all tied directly to the track.
McLaren Brings Tomorrowland Branding Onto Formula 1 Cars
Location: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps
McLaren and Tomorrowland first brought the festival’s branding onto a Formula 1 car in 2021, when the Tomorrowland Around the World logo appeared on the McLaren MCL35M during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. The partnership continued in later seasons, including the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, where the Tomorrowland logo returned to McLaren’s cars during the festival’s 20th anniversary year and the race weekend in Belgium. The crossover worked because it placed EDM inside the visual language of F1 itself, with the festival name appearing on the car seen by global broadcast audiences, team media, and trackside coverage. In 2024, the link also went both ways, with Tomorrowland streaming the Belgian Grand Prix at the festival and McLaren sharing access to Tomorrowland content through its race-weekend hospitality setup. That made this more than logo placement, as McLaren and Tomorrowland created a direct bridge between festivalgoers and race fans.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris Appear in Tomorrowland 2021 Digital Festival
Location: Tomorrowland Around the World (Virtual Festival)
During Tomorrowland Around the World 2021, Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris featured as part of the festival’s official digital broadcast, appearing within the same programme as headline DJs performing across the virtual stages. At the time, both drivers were racing for McLaren, which had already established a link with Tomorrowland through branding and collaboration. The 2021 edition of Tomorrowland Around the World was built using a fully rendered 3D festival environment, where artists performed on digitally designed stages and guest appearances were integrated into the stream rather than added as separate segments. Within that setting, Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris appeared as part of the festival’s content rollout, placing active Formula 1 drivers inside a global EDM broadcast that reached millions of viewers online. The appearance reflected how the connection between Formula 1 and EDM had moved beyond race weekends and into shared media platforms, with drivers themselves becoming part of festival-facing content seen by an international electronic music audience.
F1 The Movie Soundtrack Brings Dom Dolla, Tiësto, Peggy Gou And PAWSA Into Formula 1
Location: Global
The official soundtrack for F1 The Movie brought another clear link between Formula 1 and electronic music, with Dom Dolla, Tiësto, Peggy Gou and PAWSA all appearing on F1 The Album. Released through Atlantic Records and Apple, the soundtrack arrived alongside the film and featured original songs made for the project, placing dance music inside one of Formula 1’s biggest film releases. Dom Dolla opened the electronic side of the album with “No Room For A Saint” featuring Nathan Nicholson, while Tiësto teamed up with Sexyy Red on “OMG!”, Peggy Gou contributed “D.A.N.C.E”, and PAWSA added “Double C.” The soundtrack also carried a direct on screen link, with Tiësto appearing as himself in a Las Vegas nightclub scene in the film. With Lewis Hamilton involved as a producer and Hans Zimmer handling the score, F1 The Album showed how the film treated music as part of the wider Formula 1 world, bringing DJs into the same project as racing, cinema and global pop culture.
Calvin Harris and The Chainsmokers Headline Singapore Grand Prix 2017
Location: Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
The Singapore Grand Prix has been structured as a night race since its debut, and by 2017 it had already developed into a weekend where music and racing run side by side inside the same event space. Across 15 to 17 September 2017, the Marina Bay Street Circuit hosted both on-track sessions and large-scale concerts within the Circuit Park, with access included in race tickets and movement between zones built into the layout. The Chainsmokers performed on Saturday night (16 September) following qualifying, while Calvin Harris closed Sunday (17 September) after the race, taking over the Padang Stage in Zone 4 as the final act of the weekend. Those set times placed both acts at the busiest points of the schedule, with fans moving from trackside areas into the concert space within the same circuit zone. The 2017 edition showed how Formula 1 in Singapore runs both elements within a single event, where the race and headline shows take place across the same weekend and in the same space.
Swedish House Mafia and Fatboy Slim Headline Singapore Grand Prix 2019
Location: Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
By 2019, the Singapore Grand Prix had already established its night race format as one where music and racing run across the same weekend inside the Circuit Park. Across 20 to 22 September 2019, the event returned with another lineup that placed EDM acts at key points of the schedule, with Fatboy Slim opening the weekend on Friday (20 September) and Swedish House Mafia closing Sunday (22 September) after the race at the Padang Stage in Zone 4. The 2019 edition carried added weight with Swedish House Mafia in the middle of their reunion run, marking one of their major appearances in Asia during that period. As with previous years, both performances were positioned within the same ticketed event space, with fans moving between track sessions and the main stage across the weekend. The 2019 lineup reinforced how the Singapore Grand Prix continues to place headline EDM acts alongside the race itself, maintaining a format where both share the same audience and schedule.
