Formula 1 design secrets revealed in new LEGO range
As Max Verstappen tries to clinch his fourth straight Formula 1 championship in Las Vegas, the tricks of all 10 teams have been laid bare in new toys set to have fans “nerd out”.
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Emily Prazer, Formula 1’s chief commercial officer, thought the sport was “the most boring thing on the planet” when she watched it on TV as a child with her father.
“The irony, right?” she laughs, given she is now in charge of helping Formula 1 cash in on an influx of fans who have found their way to the sport through Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
Many of these newcomers are younger and female, like Ms Prazer. And they have been drawn in by the extraordinarily popular series that showcases not just cars driving around in circles – the clichéd knock on Formula 1 – but the personalities, the politics and the pandemonium.
Ms Prazer acknowledges, however, that turning casual followers of Formula 1 into lifelong supporters requires some extra education about what is a “very, very technical” sport.
That led her team to something kids are typically far more interested in: playing with LEGO.
This week, on the sidelines of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the toymaker unveiled a range of new products featuring the cars from all 10 Formula 1 teams, the first step in a partnership Ms Prazer describes as “the epitome of everything we’ve been working towards”.
Formula 1 journalist Will Buxton, one of the stars of Drive to Survive, says fans will “nerd out” once they see the collaboration between LEGO’s toy designers and the team’s engineers.
“Every single car is unique,” he says, as he raves over the “ridiculously detailed” differences between the toy versions of each team’s vehicle.
Sauber’s double rear wing pylon, the overbite on the Mercedes sidepods, Alpine’s boxy rear – each design decision made in the need for speed is included. Each chassis is also unique, and each car comes with three tyre options to be ready for all weather conditions.
“I think it’s really important we continue to use these types of partnerships to explain these things,” Ms Prazer says.
LEGO Group creative lead Daniel Meehan says the company – which has partnered with popular brands ranging from Star Wars to Harry Potter – has “never done anything at this scale before”.
“It’s been really fun to work with the engineers and the designers to try and capture the essence of these cars,” he says.
Mr Meehan acknowledges the 18-month design process was “really tricky”, given Formula 1 teams are famously secretive about the “competitive advantage” in their cars.
But he says they were ultimately supportive of products for all ages, ranging from simple DUPLO cars for toddlers to the 1361-piece LEGO Technic Ferrari for adult fans, for which the Italian team supplied its top-secret internal design files to replicate the car.
“It was really nice to see those teams understanding what we were trying to do from a play perspective, because we want kids to have success,” Mr Meehan says.
“We don’t want them to be frustrated and not build a great race car, whether they’re two years old or 13 years old.”
The only detail not included is the drivers themselves, given the teams often chop and change their line-ups, like AlphaTauri dumping Australian star Daniel Ricciardo earlier this season.
But LEGO Group chief product and marketing officer Julia Goldin hints at positive news to come for those wanting to have a LEGO version of Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver who is racing to clinch his fourth straight championship in Las Vegas this weekend.
“The future is very open and I could see different ways in which we could actually connect the drivers into the experience,” she says.
The reporter travelled to Las Vegas with the assistance of the LEGO Group
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