The engine roars, causing a wave of excitement in the stuffed-animal crowd on the sidelines of the custom-built track. The green light blinks and the race is on, with toy cars putting the pedal to the metal to stay the course and cross the finish line first—if they don’t hit the bedroom wall, that is.

Miniature cars are one of the most popular product categories in toy history, and it’s easy to see why they’ve stood the test of time—their inherent play pattern, combined with a child’s imagination, captures the thrill of race day on a smaller scale.

Throughout the years, all manner of licensed vehicles—from auto racing brands including Nascar (stock cars) and IndyCar (open-wheeled), to motorcycle racing series such as MotoGP and events like monster truck shows—have spent time in the spotlight. And the next league primed for a major consumer products push is Formula 1.

Since Liberty Media acquired it in 2017, Formula One Group has turbo-charged its efforts to build a bigger fanbase, and that’s been paying off big time. At last count, more than 700 million motorsports enthusiasts worldwide attended or tuned in to watch F1’s Grand Prix events in 2024—and now the organization is looking to translate this massive reach and engagement into new toy licensing opportunities.

“We’ve tried to open the sport up to all ages in recent years with different ways to consume [F1], whether it’s through [our docuseries such as] Drive to Survive or an enhanced social media strategy,” says chief commercial officer Emily Prazer. “Data shows that F1 is continuing to reach younger fans, with over 50% of followers on TikTok and 40% of followers on Instagram under age 25. There’s also the fact that the drivers on the grid are younger than ever before, [so young] fans are now [interested in them] more than we’ve seen in the past.”

In addition to sold-out Grand Prix events, record crowds and growing audience engagement on social platforms, Prazer points to a noteworthy statistic: One in three fans started following F1 in the last five years. And breaking the demographics down further, 42% of the league’s fanbase is now female, and one-third of its TV viewers are younger than 35 (an increase of 144% compared to 2018, according to Prazer).

This aging-down shift has inspired the 75-year-old F1 brand to expand beyond the real-life racetrack by signing global toy partnerships with Mattel, the LEGO Group and Topps that will form the backbone of a consumer products range featuring a mix of new licensed vehicles, construction sets and trading cards targeting kids and families. And while individual racing teams have previously signed their own licensing deals with these toycos, F1’s umbrella strategy will bring all of them together in a single product mix for the first time.

Licensing is projected to play a pivotal role in driving new growth for F1 in the coming years, so the organization is on the hunt for more strategic licensees that can help move the brand into new categories, says Prazer.

“There are huge opportunities with this demographic, as it’s a relatively untapped market within Formula 1. Targeting a younger audience enables us to grow our fandom, allows families to enjoy the sport together, and creates generational loyalty. More diverse audience engagement means that fans can start at a younger age, and these upcoming products can cultivate a lifelong passion for the sport.”

Wheels in motion

After jumping on board in October as one of the key partners in the league’s kids push, Mattel is gearing up to roll out a full range of F1-branded Hot Wheels vehicles and playsets to retailers in 150 countries this year. And while the toyco has worked with individual F1 teams including McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes AMG and Aston Martin Aramco over the past couple of decades, this new line will mark the first time all 10 teams are represented under the Hot Wheels banner.

“This multi-year partnership was the result of ongoing conversations about combining Hot Wheels’ approach to collectibles and F1’s thrilling motorsport appeal,” says Roberto Stanichi, EVP of Hot Wheels and global head of vehicles & building sets. “Both brands share a commitment to precision, speed and engagement, making this an exciting venture for us to bring the F1 fandom to [Hot Wheels].”

Consumers are demanding more realism and authenticity in the vehicles category these days, Stanichi notes, adding that Mattel plans to meet this challenge by replicating key F1 elements, from car sponsors to race track gates and podiums.

While the full product lineup is still under wraps, Mattel celebrated its new F1 partnership in October by launching a Hot Wheels-sponsored F1 toy car on its Mattel Creations e-commerce site. This limited-time item sold out within the first week, showcasing the fandom’s rampant demand for licensed toys. Mattel will run another online pre-order in June for fans who missed out the first time around. (This car comes with three sets of interchangeable Pirelli tires, a full-metal chassis and an original F1-inspired deco).

“Mattel Creations is a unique platform for our most passionate fans, and launching our first Hot Wheels F1 die-cast car there allowed us to connect directly with young collectors who appreciate the exclusivity and craftsmanship of our products,” says Stanichi. “The response has been phenomenal, and fans were eager to get their hands on a piece of F1 history in Hot Wheels form.”

As part of its F1 agreement, Mattel has also launched a new platform called Hot Wheels Challenge Accepted in partnership with California-based e-learning firm Mindset Works, which focuses on using the power of play and educational toys to help kids develop a growth mindset, embrace challenges, learn from criticism and find inspiration in others. In addition to developing new products, the Hot Wheels platform will also appear at select F1 Grand Prix events throughout the year as part of fan zone activities featuring seven-time F1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, plus Hot Wheels physics lessons and toy-building challenges.

Hitting the bricks

The LEGO Group will roll out 17 new F1-branded construction sets for all ages in Q1, including a first LEGO Duplo set (targeting preschoolers) and six new LEGO City bundles (for kids ages six and up). And for older builders and collectors, 10 LEGO Speed Champions are poised to hit retail in March, recreating the 2025 signature vehicle of each F1 team in brick form.

LEGO’s new F1 sets feature all of the vehicles and accessories needed for kids to build their own Grand Prix races at home.

The Danish brickmaker’s multi-year deal with F1 took two years to finalize because the partners were committed to setting up a lofty collaboration to create a new line of products geared towards igniting a passion for engineering and speed in young builders, says global head of product Lucas Reynoso Vizcaino.

The LEGO Group built up anticipation for these products in November, when it unveiled its F1 SKUs at the second Las Vegas Grand Prix—a three-day event that attracted more than 306,000 live spectators (according to F1 officials) and an American TV audience of 905,000.

In the same vein as Mattel, LEGO will also offer fan-zone activations throughout the year, letting kids and families build its brick sets while learning about F1’s long and storied history.

“This partnership is all about connecting more LEGO fans with the world of Formula 1, bringing together two passionate global fanbases,” says Vizcaino. “Kids will get to dive deeper into the thrill of top-speed racing as they recreate exciting moments and icons from the racetrack, pit lane and garages in brick form—offering them a new opportunity to experience the complexities of elite motorsports.”

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen’s Q1 2025 magazine issue.