New Lego F1 sets are giving us the need for speed (champions)

Lego has partnered with Formula One to unveil no less than 18 brand-new sets based around the pinnacle of motorsport, with each of the elite sport’s 10 teams represented across the Speed Champions, Lego City and Duplo ranges.

Undoubtedly the star of the show is the 10-strong addition to Lego’s rapidly growing Speed Champions line-up; this has featured Formula One cars in the past, including the 2023 McLaren MCL60, as well as the Aston Martin AMR23 and Vantage safety car from that year.

The new range of Speed Champions sets are priced at £22.99 each and are not simply reskinned versions of one another; Lego has gone to the effort of ensuring each set, which range from 242 to 275 pieces, individually represents the real 2024 car on which it is based.

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If spending almost £230 to complete the set isn’t quite enough – and we know for many fans it won’t be – the Lego City F1 sets attempt to recreate several elements of the F1 race and paddock, including pit stops, the garages and the starting grid. This range starts from £17.99, rising to £89.99 and includes simplified versions of the F1 car line-up.

For the youngest of racing fans, the Lego Duplo Town sets once again feature all 10 race teams, as well as extra parts allowing for personal customisation and experimentation. Finally, the Lego Collectibles range of miniature F1 models with only 29 pieces per set covers the 10 teams, as well as the F1 and F1 Academy show cars, priced at £3.49 each.

Lego’s chief product and marketing officer, Julia Goldin, said the firm was “thrilled” by its latest partnership, while F1’s chief commercial officer, Emily Prazer, said the new line of models “caters to our entire fan base, with each set celebrating a crucial element and the intricate details of the world of Formula 1”.

The new sets will go on sale in early 2025, with the Collectibles sets arriving in early Summer. Also on F1 fans’ radar will be the upcoming Lego Icons rendition of Nigel Mansell’s 1992 championship-winning Williams FW148 – a follow-up to the recent Icons Ayrton Senna set which featured the Brazilian three-time world champion’s 1988 McLaren MP4/4.

McLaren and Lego have also developed a life-sized, driveable version of the legendary P1 hypercar, which was driven around Silverstone by F1 star, Lando Norris. This could travel at speeds of up to 30mph, using almost 343,000 Lego Technic pieces in its construction.

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