Lewis Hamilton's Mission 44 Joins With Newly-Announced F1 Partner Hot Wheels In New Fund

Hot Wheels and Lewis Hamilton’s Mission 44 collaborate to launch the Challenger Spirit Fund, aimed at fostering resilience and a growth mindset in children.

Lewis Hamilton - Mission 44 x Hot Wheels Partnership / Hot Wheels

Hot Wheels has joined forces with Lewis Hamilton's Mission 44 to launch a new initiative aimed at fostering resilience and a growth mindset in children.

Hot Wheels, a brand under Mattel Inc., is aligning with Mission 44's objectives to provide educational and empowerment opportunities to young people from all communities. The emergence of this joint initiative, the Challenger Spirit Fund, is part of a concerted effort to inspire a new generation through creative play and education.

Recent research carried out by Hot Wheels, in collaboration with Mindset Works, sheds light on how parental involvement can impact child development. The study discovered that 71% of parents often intervene when their children face minor challenges, a practice that might stifle the development of a growth mindset. Mindset Works, founded by leading researchers like Carol Dweck, is known for its work on growth mindset education and research.

The "Challenge Accepted" initiative encourages children to embrace failure and persist in their efforts, building resilience. Designed to teach children to "Try. Fail. Repeat. Grow.", this platform is a vital part of Hot Wheels' broader mission to instill a challenger spirit in young individuals.

Hot Wheels Challenge Accepted / Hot Wheels

Mission 44, founded by seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton, aims to dismantle barriers and promote social justice and equality, particularly in education and STEM. Hamilton's personal experiences as the only black F1 driver have driven his commitment to fostering inclusivity. Mission 44 focuses on enhancing education systems and supporting underrepresented communities.

Mission 44 CEO Jason Arthur commented on the new partnership in a press release:

“When Sir Lewis Hamilton launched Mission 44, it was with the ambition to create a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world. Together with Hot Wheels and their Challenger Spirit Fund, we will be able to unlock the power and potential of young people, no matter what their background.

"I'm delighted to launch the partnership and immediately get to work at the United States Grand Prix, bringing young people from underrepresented backgrounds to track to explore the world of STEM, motorsport and Hot Wheels.”

Dr. Lisa Blackwell of Mindset Works also commented:

“Very young children typically act in ways that seem quite growth mindset-based, but around age five, they become more vulnerable to developing fixed mindset beliefs about their abilities as they enter school, form more complex concepts of themselves, and are subject to a new set of expectations and evaluation from adults and peers.

“All of these factors can contribute to children developing fixed mindsets and deter them from manifesting the challenger spirit. As adults, we can play a critical role in fostering children’s growth mindsets, including through play with toys.”

Roberto Stanichi, Executive Vice President at Hot Wheels, reinforced the partnership's potential impact, stating:

“Hot Wheels has always been focused on ‘igniting the challenger spirit’ in every child and we strive to build meaningful partnerships to help us further that mission while making a real impact through play.

“We’re honored to work with a partner like Mission 44 and have Sir Lewis Hamilton’s organization be the first Challenger Spirit Fund recipient helping us launch our new Challenge Accepted platform. Together, we’ll help inspire and encourage children to take on new challenges both on and off the track.”

This comes after Hot Wheels announced its partnership with F1. Chief Commercial Officer of F1 Emily Prazer commented on the partnership:

“This exciting collaboration with Mattel will bring together the adrenaline of motor racing and the excitement of toy cars and provide opportunities to see the fine details that go into an F1 car, all in the palm of your hand."