Lando Norris tackles the Silverstone Circuit with a full-scale LEGO Technic McLaren P1

The LEGO Group and McLaren Automotive have joined forces in an unprecedented collaboration, taking on the ultimate challenge: creating a life-size, driveable version of the iconic LEGO Technic McLaren P1 supercar. This innovative partnership showcases the potential of combining LEGO’s creativity with McLaren’s engineering prowess.

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McLaren Formula 1 Team driver Lando Norris puts the one-of-a-kind car to the ultimate test, completing a lap around the iconic Silverstone Circuit, a track holding many memories of historic moments for McLaren. The life-size car features an incredible 342,817 LEGO Technic elements and an electric motor; it is the first big build the LEGO Group has ever made, that’s capable of steering and driving an entire lap of a racetrack.

The LEGO Group and McLaren Automotive have embarked on the most formidable LEGO Technic challenge to date, recreating a one-of-a-kind, fully drivable McLaren P1 made from LEGO Technic elements. And if that wasn’t enough, McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris has been enlisted for the ultimate challenge, to complete a lap of the iconic British racetrack, Silverstone, in the 1:1 scale LEGO Technic McLaren P1.

This life-size replica of the LEGO Technic McLaren P1 is a testament to human ingenuity, made from 342,817 LEGO Technic elements, weighing approximately 1220kg. The car’s fully functional steering, powered by an electric motor consisting of LEGO Technic Function batteries and an electric car battery, is a remarkable engineering feat. This build is not just a model but a demonstration of what can be achieved with LEGO Technic elements.

The big build process was a true testament to teamwork and dedication, with 23 specialists from design, engineering, and building from the LEGO Group and McLaren Automotive coming together. Their combined efforts, totalling 8,344 hours of development and construction, and requiring 393 different types of LEGO Technic elements, brought this ambitious project to life.

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 McLaren F1 Driver Lando Norris? The British driver was more than up to the task, taking on the twists and turns of the 5.891km (3.66 miles) track and completing the lap around the Silverstone Circuit. With the enormity of this challenge, Silverstone was the perfect setting, given McLaren’s rich history with the home of British racing.

Ben Gulliver, Test & Development Director, McLaren Automotive, commented:

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. Through this collaboration with the LEGO Group, I hope to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.

Lukáš Horák, Senior Project Manager of Installations, LEGO Group, added:

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. 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.

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