EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 20, 2025--
Ahead of the global theatrical release of Apple Original Films' F1® The Movie, Hot Wheels® announced today a limited-edition die-cast car inspired by the fictional Apex Grand Prix (APXGP) team, driven by the film’s character Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt. The 1:64 scale Formula 1® die-cast will be available for purchase on MattelCreations.com beginning June 24, prior to the release of the film in theaters on June 27, from Warner Bros. Pictures.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250620032714/en/
The 1:64 scale die-cast channels the high-octane energy and cutting-edge design of the APXGP team’s Formula 1 car, bringing movie magic and motorsport realism together in true Hot Wheels fashion. Following last year’s multi-year licensing partnership announcement with Formula 1 and two subsequent sold-out collaborative product pre-order launches, this release provides automotive enthusiasts, racing fans, pop culture devotees and movie lovers a way to take a little piece of F1® The Movie home with them.
True to the race car driven by the character Sonny Hayes in the film, the Hot Wheels casting and the molded driver’s helmet feature an authentic gold and black livery adorned with Hayes’ number seven. Customers will also receive three sets of Pirelli tires and a tire storage rack. Additionally, the car will come in a collector’s ‘Kar Keepers’ clamshell case to deliver the ultimate collector experience.
“Our previous Formula 1 product launches were incredibly well received by racing fans and Hot Wheels collectors, and now we can share a piece of the collection with film lovers around the world,” said Roberto Stanichi, executive vice president, Hot Wheels & Global Head of Vehicles and Building Sets at Mattel. “The APXGP die-cast allows Hot Wheels to connect with a new audience of moviegoers who now have the opportunity to own a 1:64 scale piece of cinematic and racing history.”
Set to hit theaters internationally beginning June 25, with a North American release on June 27, the highly anticipated Formula 1 film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Plan B Entertainment, and seven-time F1® world champion Lewis Hamilton’s Dawn Apollo Films banner, and made in collaboration with Formula 1®, stars Brad Pitt as ‘Sonny Hayes.’ Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team’s hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition — and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.
Apple Original Films and Warner Bros. Pictures Present A Monolith Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer / Plan B Entertainment / Dawn Apollo Films Production, A Joseph Kosinski Film, F1 ® The Movie, distributed in theaters and IMAX® worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
The 1:64 scale die-cast will be available for $25.00 USD. For more information, please visit MattelCreations.com.
About Mattel
Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. We engage consumers and fans through our franchise brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends™, UNO®, Masters of the Universe®, Matchbox®, Monster High®, MEGA® and Polly Pocket®, as well as other popular properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include toys, content, consumer products, digital and live experiences. Our products are sold in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us at mattel.com.
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The 1:64 scale die-cast channels the high-octane energy and cutting-edge design of the APXGP team’s Formula 1 car, bringing movie magic and motorsport realism together in true Hot Wheels fashion.
Ahead of the global theatrical release of Apple Original Films' F1® The Movie, Hot Wheels® announced today a limited-edition die-cast car inspired by the fictional Apex Grand Prix (APXGP) team.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s vow to shrink America’s military deployment in Germany has put a new spotlight on the U.S. role in Europe.
There are usually 80,000 to 100,000 troops on the continent, with more than 36,000 in Germany. The Pentagon announced Friday that it would remove 5,000 troops from Germany, and Trump said the next day that he would go “a lot further” than that.
The U.S. military presence is a legacy of World War II, when Americans helped stabilize and rebuild Europe, and the Cold War, when the troops served as a bulwark against Soviet expansion. More recently, the deployment has played a key role supporting operations in the Arctic, Africa and the Middle East including the current conflict with Iran.
But Trump has broken with years of bipartisan consensus, criticizing European allies in NATO and following through on threats to reduce the U.S. commitment to the continent's security. The recent announcement comes after escalating tensions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who last week said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by Iran and accused Washington of lacking a clear strategy.
Here's a look at America's current deployment in Europe and how it could change.
The U.S. European Command, created in 1947 and known as EUCOM, is one of 11 combat commands within the Defense Department, and covers some 50 countries and territories.
In addition to more than 36,000 troops in Germany, Italy hosts more than 12,000 and there's another 10,000 in the United Kingdom, according to Pentagon numbers from December.
The Pentagon has offered few details about which troops or operations would be affected in the drawdown announced Friday.
The U.S. increased its European deployment after Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine four years ago. NATO allies like Germany have expected for over a year that these troops would be the first to leave.
Aside from its role as a deterrent to Russia, the U.S. military presence in Europe helps Washington project power across the globe.
U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who is the commander in Europe of both U.S. and NATO forces, reinforced the benefits of a strong footprint on the continent to the Senate Armed Services Committee in March.
“It is having capabilities in Europe, munitions in Europe that allow us to help U.S. Africa Command to target terrorists in Africa, or to help U.S. Central Command as they execute Operation Epic Fury,” he told lawmakers, referring to the Iran war. “The distances are shorter, it’s less expensive and it’s much easier to project power.”
Germany hosts the headquarters of the U.S. European and Africa commands, Ramstein Air Base and a medical center in Landstuhl, where casualties from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were treated. U.S. nuclear weapons are also stationed in the country.
The U.S. has approximately 100 nuclear bombs deployed to bases in Europe that would be delivered by aircraft, according to a March estimate from the Federation of American Scientists. The group's report said the bombs are at bases in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, while it’s possible they’re also at a base in the United Kingdom.
Even before Trump's comment Saturday to reporters, Republican leaders of both armed services committees in Congress expressed concern about the Pentagon plan, warning a premature drawdown in Europe would send “the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin” as the Russian president continues his war in Ukraine.
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama said troops should be shifted to bases in Eastern Europe rather than withdrawn.
The lawmakers also said allies have made “substantial investments to host U.S. troops.”
Wicker and Rogers said the Pentagon, following its announcement Friday, has also decided to cancel the planned deployment to Germany of one of the U.S. Army’s long-range fires battalions, which operate ground-launched missile systems.
As part of its National Defense Strategy announced in January — a sweeping document laying out a vision on everything from deterring China to defending against cyberattacks to disrupting Iran's nuclear ambitions — the administration said Europe must do more for its own defense.
While "we are and will remain engaged in Europe, we must — and will — prioritize defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China,” it said.
Among other things, the document noted that Europe's economic power, while shrinking in relative terms globally, remains significant, and said that Germany's economy alone “dwarfs that of Russia."
“Fortunately, our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia — it is not even close,” it said, noting a recent commitment among NATO allies to raise national defense spending to 5% of GDP in total, a push led by Trump.
Germany has moved to modernize its long-neglected military, or Bundeswehr, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That year, it set up a 100 billion euro ($117 billion) special fund to boost Bundeswehr, much of which has been committed to procuring new equipment.
Late last year, Merz's government announced plans to raise the number of military personnel to 260,000, up from about 180,000. In 2001, when Germany still had conscription, the headcount was 300,000 — more than a third of them conscripts.
Berlin says it will also need around 200,000 reservists, more than double the current figure.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, in comments to German news agency dpa after the Pentagon's drawdown plan was announced Friday, acknowledged that Europe must take more responsibility for its own security — and said the Bundeswehr is growing, military equipment is being procured more quickly, and infrastructure is being developed.
Keaten reported from Geneva.
FILE - United States' Air Force transport aircrafts are seen on the tarmac at Ramstein U.S. air base, in Landstuhl, Germany, June 23, 2025. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP, File)
