by In honor of the partnership with Formula 1, the Lego company created full-scale models of the race cars of all championship teams. Each car from the constructor consists of 400 thousand parts, and their production took over 22 thousand hours. Ten large-scale copies will go on a world tour with performances at various race tracks.
It’s hard to imagine what Lego engineers expected when they provided the full-scale models for the demonstration lap before the Miami Grand Prix. Having spent thousands of hours creating these cubic masterpieces, they probably hoped that each car, which contains about 4 million parts in total, would be treated with respect.
However, as one might have predicted, everything turned into a chaotic spectacle – poor driving was accompanied by comical situations, which brought fresh humor to the traditionally boring ceremony where pilots usually passively wave to the crowd from the back of a truck.
Incredible engineering achievements
Although the drivers’ behavior drew attention, the cars themselves turned out to be real technical marvels. This event celebrated the long-term collaboration between Lego and Formula 1. There have been similar projects before – last year McLaren presented its constructor car at the Silverstone circuit, and in 2022 they recreated a historical race car.
But if a single copy was already impressive, the simultaneous appearance of models of all 10 teams on the track looked even more spectacular. Departing from the traditional lightness of real race cars, each Lego car weighed a whole 1500 kg. The speed was limited to 20 km/h, which did not prevent them from accurately reproducing the details of the originals – from sponsor logos to real Pirelli tires. The two-seater cockpits allowed both drivers of each team to participate in the parade.
Lost parts
The demonstration drive quickly turned into the slowest race in Formula 1 history. The drivers enthusiastically tested the strength of the structures – Max Verstappen playfully pushed the McLaren in the pit lane, after which real battles broke out on the track. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli wedged the Williams into the barrier, and Lewis Hamilton with Charles Leclerc could not contain their laughter.
The exact number of lost parts remains unknown, but they need to be restored before future performances at other race tracks around the world.
