Next year's unique LEGO 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car series has more history than you'd expect thanks to multiple ancestors in LEGO Racers.
LEGO 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car is an upcoming series of collectible LEGO items depicting small Formula 1 cars from various teams with a minifigure head and a new helmet element sticking out of the top.
Though it's certainly a deviation from the standard minifigure series, 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car isn't an entirely new concept in the LEGO portfolio as minifigure heads sticking out of small cars is a common topic for the old LEGO Racers range.
From Drome Racers to the oddly-named Xalax, here are the origins of the 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car series, which will be available from May 1, 2025.
Drome Racers
Lasting from 2002 to 2004, Drome Racers was short-lived but varied focusing on small cars with miniature characters using a minifigure head, accessory and a single piece for the body that would find use elsewhere.
While it didn't include any notable F1-style cars, it was the home of the unusual 4299 Nesquik Bunny Racer and comparing them to 71049 Collectible Race Cars, it's easy to see how they might have inspired the 2025 collectible cars' oversized heads and their scale but otherwise, their builds are notably different to the 2025 cars, usually covering different kinds of vehicles.
Ferrari
Ferrari's latest step in their lengthy partnership with the LEGO Group will come to fruition next year, including in 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car. Part of their storied past with the LEGO Group includes a line of miniature cars though with designs and elements similar to that of the 2025 series.
Though they were bigger than 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car, some included a front wing element that functions similarly to a new piece in 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car, possibly inspiring the 2025 piece.
They differ in that they are over four studs wide as opposed to just over three studs and they don't have an oversized head, instead representing the driver through a single stud. This range also offered miniature trucks and more models beyond just cars which 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car does not.
Tiny Turbos
Tiny Turbos is similar to the Ferrari range (some of them even cross over with Tiny Turbos) and seems likely to be a major inspiration for 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car series.
The subtheme's later addition of baseplate-centric models that could fold up drastically changed the retired range but presents something that 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car would benefit from – compatible brick-built models to help you form a custom race track. Otherwise, the old sets were are rife with prints and stickers that certainly correspond to 71049 F1 Collectible Race Car.
Xalax
Xalax is similar to Drome Racers and acted as a precursor to the range, ending in 2001. Instead of standard minifigure heads on small bodies, the classic LEGO Racers range offered specific moulded characters to place on a car made up of a handful of parts.
71049 F1 Collectible Race Car likely takes more inspiration from Drome Racers, though you can see how the earlier range gave way to the 2002 subtheme, which in turn seems to have inspired the small Formula 1 models. Should the collectible 2025 cars use a singular piece for the car's foundations, they may take more inspiration from Xalax than expected but at the time of writing, we don't know exactly how they're built.
71049 F1 Collectible Race Car launches on May 1, 2025, for £3.49 / $4.99 / €3.99 per blind box as part of a massive partnership between the LEGO Group and Formula 1 next year.
LEGO Insiders Weekend 2024 is underway right now, and you can find all the latest deals over on our dedicated hub. Consider supporting the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO using our affiliate links.
Comments
Be the first to comment!