In just a few weeks’ time, the new Formula 1 season for 2025 will kick off and this summer will see the release of the feature film “F1” in cinemas around the country. But the fascination of motorsport already started at the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg early this year as this competitive sport that involves fast, sleek and innovative cars inspires all generations. This year, the theme plays a prominent role at LEGO and Hot Wheels, among other toy manufacturers.

 

Who will win the Formula 1 world championship in 2025? This will be decided in the new season, which starts with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 16 March. This time, however, teams from Denmark and the USA also want to be at the forefront of motorsport’s premier class – with miniatures of the racing cars made of bricks and metal. LEGO has launched a multi-year strategic partnership with Formula 1. The sets range from Duplo cars to elaborate Technic models via building sets in the same scale as the minifigures.

Race track action from Mattel and Carrera

Formula 1 racing also plays a central role at Hot Wheels from Mattel this year. Sixteen new miniatures of F1 racers will be launched onto the market in 2025, eight each in the Hot Wheels Basic line, which is compatible with the race track, and in the Hot Wheels Premium line, which is aimed at collectors. Grand Prix racing cars are already something of a tradition at race track manufacturer Carrera. This time, however, the Austria-based company also recognises that Formula 1 is a particularly important trend for toys. Suitable sets will be released by the summer – just in time to coincide with the premiere of the new cinema film “F1” with Brad Pitt in a leading role and Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton as producer.

“Build The Thrill” with LEGO

“For the first time ever, this partnership means that all ten Formula 1 teams will be part of the Lego product portfolio,” says Dan Squirrell, designer at LEGO, the traditional toy brick manufacturer from Billund in Denmark. As the expert explains, bricks and racing go well together. This is where the magic of play, the fascination of competition with its distinct fan culture and the innovation of modern racing technology all unite. LEGO is convinced that this is an exciting mix for all age groups. And interactive offers under its “Build the Thrill” slogan are intended to do justice to increasing digitalisation.

“We Love Racing” at Carrera

Genuine sporting duels with small-scale racing cars or sports cars! Fans all over the world can compete in slot car races with groove-guided electric race tracks. The variety of the race track world is immense, ranging from entry-level sets for children to challenging race tracks for professional-level competitions, with individually optimised vehicles. Carrera has been one of the best-known brands in the segment since the 1960s. Since 2021, the iconic brand has been part of the Carrera Revell Group. With its new slogan “We love Racing” and the rebranding announced at the end of 2024, Carrera is now aimed just as much at kidults as at younger target groups. The company’s strategy fits in with the technical development of the race track brand, which is heavily focused on interfaces between genuine gaming experience and digital worlds. As is evident with innovations such as the Carrera Hybrid that uses AI technology and the firm’s dynamically growing reach in social media with channels such as YouTube and Threads.

True to the originals 

When it comes to successfully translating the enthusiasm for motorsport of different age groups into actual toys, manufacturers like LEGO pay very close attention. Dan Squirrell explains how the brick models are created in close dialogue with the real racing teams: “With our F1 collection, we went through a very intense process: we regularly exchanged ideas, presented different versions of the models, tweaked the details and reworked the designs until everyone was completely satisfied with the end result.” There were some differences depending on the line. For LEGO City, for example, the vehicles were first developed in the appropriate scale as toys and then the details were designed together with the racing teams so as to “capture the essence” of brands such as Williams, Ferrari and McLaren. With the Speed Champions sets, on the other hand, the focus was always on the specific car. “Our aim was to recreate the vehicles with the LEGO building system as faithfully as possible and, at the same time, reproduce the characteristic features right down to the smallest detail,” the designer says.

Customers appreciate the manufacturers’ dedication

Customers appreciate it when they can see that a lot of work has gone into the models or toys modelled on motorsport cars. This can be seen in the ‘Model Vehicle of the Year’ competition, whose winner for 2024 was announced by the model vehicle trade magazine Modell Fahrzeug at the end of the year. Racing cars, racing sports cars, rally cars and other miniatures from the world of motorsport regularly win in the various categories. The role models often come from classic eras – such as the overall winner “Super Model of the Year 2024”, a 1:8 scale kit of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé by Le Grand. Financially speaking, the market segment of high-quality model vehicles is also very attractive. Based on its own market research, the trade magazine states that its own readers spend on average more than €1,200 a year on new miniatures.

Enthusiasm among a young target group

One of the reasons why Formula 1 is so interesting for LEGO is the wide reach of the original models across different generations and countries. “Formula 1 is attracting an increasingly younger audience,” says LEGO designer Squirrell. “In the EU and the USA alone, more than four million children aged between eight and twelve follow the sport!” At the same time, LEGO is also focussing on the classic values of construction toys in the new partnership: the Danish company wishes to “bring families together by playing and building together” and, at the same time, “bring the passion for motorsport to life in an innovative way”.

A trend with a long tradition

Motorsport is now a trendy theme in the world of toys, but, at the same time, it also enjoys a very long tradition. Schuco’s tin toy cars, for example, which have been sold as the “Studio” line since 1936 and were available until the early 2020s, are world famous. The tradition of motorsport models in the tin toy segment is still being kept alive by brands such as Kovap and metal construction set manufacturer Merkur, both from the Czech Republic. The model for the first Schuco Studio miniature with a wind-up engine, functioning steering and differential on the rear axle was the Mercedes-Benz W 25 Grand Prix racing car in the 1930s, which established the tradition of the “Silver Arrows” of the brand with the three-pointed star. Mercedes is still involved in the current Formula 1 scene and the brand logo can also be seen on LEGO miniatures.

About the author Peter Thomas:

Telling stories about technology and people: This has fascinated the journalist, author, cultural scientist and lecturer for more than 30 years. Technical toys are always in focus, from construction kits to interactive digital educational toys. After studying and working as a research assistant at university, Peter Thomas writes for daily newspapers, magazines and corporate publications in German and English-speaking countries. In addition to the world of games, his focus is on mobility, security, energy and medical technology.