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Hot Wheels unveils Formula 1 toy cars

There are only eight teams, however

Only eight teams are included. At least both drivers per team are present in the Premium set. PHOTO FROM HOT WHEELS

Last October, Hot Wheels released a limited-edition collaboration 1:64 Formula 1 die-cast car with Hot Wheels racing livery right after the renewed partnership had been announced.

Toward the end of last year, the first car under Basic (aka Mainline) appeared on die-cast-related sites—the Red Bull racer. It gave us a taste of what to expect. Shortly after, a five-pack appeared.

On January 8, Hot Wheels posted on Instagram the Red Bull Racing car with a small disclaimer that it was one of eight teams, which we will get to later.

The Standard set doesn’t include drivers. PHOTO FROM HOT WHEELS

Hot Wheels has now unveiled the cars under Mainline (single and five-pack), track sets, and the Premium collectors’ items (which come with a metal chassis, more detailed team liveries, driver numbers, and rubber Pirelli tires).

For the track sets, there’s the Grand Prix Circuit and the Sprint Race. The Grand Prix Circuit lets you race and overtake your way to the finish line, while the Sprint Race features a DRS booster to push the cars even faster.

The Grand Prix Race Circuit and the Sprint Race Circuit. PHOTOS FROM HOT WHEELS

Going back to the cars, you may have noticed that there are eight teams, with Ferrari and Aston Martin not present in the collection.

In the above-mentioned article, we shared that Ferrari ended its licensing agreement with Mattel at the end of 2014. And it’s unlikely those red cars are coming back anytime soon given it has agreements with Bburago and Tomica. Sorry, Ferrari fans.

The agreement with Aston Martin, meanwhile, seems strange considering Hot Wheels has been dishing out cars from the British brand, including the recently released DB4 GT High-Speed Edition collab under Mainline, as well as an upcoming Valkyrie under Elite 64. We’re not sure if there’s a different agreement for its road cars and F1 cars.

We understand the challenges with licensing agreements, but it has to be said that these two teams’ absence is disappointing, considering the excitement over the F1 partnership.

Which Formula 1 car is your bias? PHOTOS FROM HOT WHEELS

Anyway, the Premium F1 cars can be found on the official Hot Wheels website. Unfortunately, right after the announcement, all 16 cars were sold out.



Jason Dela Cruz

Jason is a veteran member of the motoring community, having worked as an automotive journalist and a car industry executive. He is now based in Cebu, where the car culture is vibrant.



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