From manipulating The Met Gala algorithm, to miniaturising motorsport madness and a Pope power move that genuinely moved me — this Stunt Watch is vehicular themed.

Damson Idris hijacks The Met Gala

I was on the edge of my seat waiting for The Met Gala. This is not just because 2025’s theme was ‘superfine: tailoring black style’, but because I was wondering what brand was going to take this as an opportunity to make a food bag accessory (I joke).

Yet, someone finally had the audacity to do what we've all been thinking: why wait?

Damson Idris and his team brilliantly infiltrated fashion's most exclusive night, not with a post-event remake, but by turning the red carpet itself into a guerrilla theatre moment for his upcoming film, F1.

In a moment where eyes unconventionally were on the men and their style choices, Damson commanded attention by showing up in a APXGP racing car, and wearing racing suit. He cleverly used fashion's biggest stage as his own personal movie trailer. It's a masterful flip of the typical reactive PR playbook: don't wait to respond to the culture moment — become the culture moment.

What makes this particularly clever is how it solved the genuine challenge of how to get a male actor noticed at an event where men typically fade into the background. In one calculated move, Idris shifted from ‘just another tuxedo’ to ‘the guy everyone's talking about’ — transforming the female-dominated fashion conversation into earned conversation for his film.

With Timothy Chalamet previously stealing the lime light by showing up to the premier of Complete Unknown on a Lime bike, maybe we are back to a season of ripping up the red carpet rule book.

Play overtakes performance with Lego F1

If Formula 1 is the pinnacle of precision and adult seriousness, then Lego's parade of brick-built F1 cars is the perfect antidote — a reminder that even our most sophisticated passions started as child's play.

By miniaturising motorsport's most elite machines into toy form, and parading them with all the ceremony of the real thing. The contrast between the sport's intensity and Lego's inherent playfulness created a moment that's impossible not to smile at.

What elevates this beyond just a cute photo opportunity is how it speaks to its core brand truth — making things accessible through the joy of building. While real F1 cars cost millions of pounds, and require teams of expert engineers, Lego democratises the experience by putting the power of creation and play back into childrens’ (and adults) hands.

In a world where brands often take themselves too seriously, Lego reminds us that sometimes the most sophisticated message is simply ‘remember how fun this was’.

Pope Francis turns pageantry into purpose

In what might be the most meaningful stunt I’ve seen in a while, ahead of his passing last month, Pope Francis requested that his iconic ‘popemobile’ be transformed into a mobile health clinic for children in Gaza — converting a symbol of papal protection into a shield for the most vulnerable.

The brilliance here transcends typical PR metrics. By repurposing a vehicle designed to protect him into one that protects others, Pope Francis created a powerful visual metaphor for servant leadership. This is a characteristic and a sentiment many spoke about on the steps of the Vatican at the time of his passing.

The popemobile — created in response to an assassination attempt — has now become a deliberate insertion into one of the world's most dangerous conflict zones.

Against the backdrop of reports that medical facilities are being targeted, the popemobile's transformation carries an implicit challenge: would anyone dare strike a vehicle so globally recognisable, so associated with moral authority? It's a calculated move that leverages the Pope’s global standing to create what might be the world's most bulletproof ambulance, both literally and figuratively.

In a world of performative corporate activism, here's a leader actually converting symbolic capital into tangible protection for those who need it most.

Now that's a stunt worth believing in.