Lando Norris takes to Silverstone in life-sized McLaren P1 Lego model
He probably wasn't bricking it
A day out in a supercar for McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris would not normally be news, but the British driver has this week taken on the British Grand Prix’s Silverstone circuit in a very different kind of car.
As part of a partnership with Lego, F1 race winner Norris found himself behind the wheel of a life-size brick-based car for a lap of the 3.66-mile Grand Prix circuit.
The car, a full-sized model of McLaren’s P1 hybrid hypercar, was made from Lego Technic components, and is powered by electric motors.
Fully-functional steering and 768 electric motors
With more than 340,000 pieces of Lego used, including Lego Technic Function batteries, the 1,220kg car features fully functional steering and space for Norris to sit in the cabin.
Even the Lego Technic “engine” is made from Lego. The system comprises eight motor packs, in honour of the real car’s V8 engine, and each pack is made up of 96 Lego Power function motors, giving the car a total of 768 Lego motors.
Norris, who will race McLaren’s Formula 1 car at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held on the streets of Baku, completed an entire lap of the Silverstone track, albeit in a much slower time than the lap that put him third on the grid for this year’s British Grand Prix.
Having been constructed by 23 Lego specialists using 393 different types of Lego Technic elements, the car held together for the entire lap, and Lego has published video footage of the car on track on YouTube.
A first time for everything
The P1 is the first of Lego’s ‘big-build’ models to be able to drive around corners, and it’s the first time a Lego build has driven around a racetrack. It’s also the first time a Formula 1 driver has ever driven a Lego scale build.
“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, the test and development director at McLaren Automotive.
“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.”
Although Lego has no plans to put the full-size, driveable P1 into production, the Danish toy maker is currently offering customers a 1:8-scale Lego Technic P1. Priced at £389.99, the model comprises 3,893 pieces and measures 14cm in length. Each model also features a unique serial number, with which builders can unlock special behind-the-scenes content.
The P1 set also models the car’s seven-speed automatic gearbox, suspension and V8 piston engine, as well as the rear wing.
The real McLaren P1 still produces serious hypercar figures
The original production car was known as part of the “holy trinity” of hybrid hypercars, alongside the Porsche 918 and the LaFerrari, all of which were launched at broadly the same time.
- World exclusive: hypercar ‘holy trinity’ set for Top Gear track battle
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With its 903bhp plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain and active aerodynamics, the McLaren was capable of a 215mph top speed and could get from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds.
“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,” said Lukáš Horák, the senior project manager of installations at 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.”
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