Lando Norris took a break from his Formula 1 title fight to drive a LEGO Technic McLaren P1 supercar around Silverstone.
Having won two grand prix this season, Norris knows that the secret behind a good team is to have the right building blocks in place – and he had 342,817 LEGO Technic pieces constructed into the life-size P1, designed by 23 specialists from the LEGO Group and McLaren.
After adding the 1:8 scale McLaren P1 to the LEGO Technic Ultimate Car Concept in July, the challenge to build a true to life version was a continuation of the LEGO Group’s ‘Build for Real’ mantra.
“Having worked on the original P1 programme for McLaren, it’s amazing to see so many of the elements from the original McLaren P1 brought to life so realistically by the LEGO Technic team for the full-scale model,” said Ben Gulliver, McLaren Automotive’s test and development director.
Weighing 1,220kg and with over 16,500 hours of time committed to the project from development through to production, the car Norris took around Silverstone set a number of firsts for the LEGO Group.
It was the first time a scale build has been able to drive around corners and therefore complete a lap of any racetrack, while having Norris behind the wheel meant it was also the first time a Formula 1 racer has driven a LEGO scale build.
“This project marks the latest in a long list of collaborations between the LEGO Group and
McLaren, bringing together McLaren engineers and the LEGO Model Production team from
conception all the way to the final build,” explained Lukas Horak, senior project manager in model production for the LEGO Group.
“McLaren's automotive and engineering expertise has been invaluable in helping us produce a model as authentic to the original McLaren P1™ as possible, allowing us to turn a dream into a reality. It was incredibly cool to see McLaren F1™ driver, Lando Norris driving the car we created.”
To create a car that could achieve what had previously not been done, the build featured an electric car battery as well as an electric motor consisting of LEGO Technic Function batteries – meaning the P1 could travel further than any LEGO Technic model previously.
The LEGO Technic engine itself consists of eight motor packs to mimic the V8 used in the original McLaren P1, with each one built with 96 LEGO Power function motors, meaning the car has 768 LEGO motors powering it along.
The LEGO® Technic McLaren P1™ 1:8 set is available at https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/mclaren-p1-42172
