PREVIEW

McLaren star Lando Norris took time out of fighting for the Formula 1 World Championship for a more unusual challenge - to complete a lap of Silverstone in a supercar built from LEGO.

He took the wheel of the one-of-a-kind, fully drivable 1:1 scale McLaren P1 made from LEGO Technic elements on the famed British racetrack, taking on its twist and turns over 5.891km (3.66 miles).

This life-size replica of the McLaren P1 is made from 342,817 LEGO Technic elements, weighing approximately 1220kg, with some truly remarkable displays of engineering.

The car has fully functional steering, making it the first LEGO big build ever capable of steering and taking on tricky racetrack corners. It features an electric motor consisting of LEGO Technic Function batteries and an electric car battery, allowing it to travel further than any other LEGO model before it.

Ben Gulliver, Test & Development Director, McLaren Automotive, said: “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. The car was an icon of its time.

"I hope that through this collaboration with the LEGO Group, we are able to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.”
The big build process came to life with 23 specialists from design, engineering and building from the LEGO group and McLaren Automotive, with 8,344 hours of development and construction and requiring 393 different types of LEGO Technic elements.

With the car assembled, all that was left to do was to embark on the ultimate challenge, and with it being a McLaren supercar replica, who better to get behind the wheel than Norris.

Lukáš Horák, Senior Project Manager in Model Production, LEGO Group, added: “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.”
The smaller, buildable LEGO Technic McLaren P1 at 1:8 set is available at www.LEGO.com/McLaren and LEGO Stores priced at £389.99 / €449.99 / $449.99.