When Lego released their McLaren Formula 1 Race Car set last month, it proved to be incredibly popular, selling out on their website in less than 24 hours and still being on backorder over a month later. Now, Lego has brought out a life-size replica of the model to this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, the home race of McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo.
The full-size model is made up of no less than 288,315 individual Lego bricks and it reportedly took a total of 1,893 hours to assemble. Carrying out the construction was a team of expert builders led by Lego Certified Professional and Lego Masters Australia judge Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught.
See Also: Watch Lego Create A Life-Size Model Of Ferrari’s 2017 F1 Car
Looks… ‘comfy’, @DanielRicciardo! 😉🧱 It’s not everyday you get to take a seat in a McLaren F1 Lego Technic car. pic.twitter.com/9MzwAcNKu8
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 7, 2022
What’s probably most interesting about this model, though, is that instead of a model of the actual F1 car, they’ve created a model of the Lego set, replicating each brick, peg, and panel of its construction with thousands of other bricks. That means this car is actually a full-size model of the scale model of the actual car. Confusing, we know.
And like the Lego set, this full-size model doesn’t skimp on the details. Some of its standout features include moving pistons in the engine, a locking rear differential, and a fully detailed steering wheel that actually steers the car complete with knobs, buttons, paddles, and a screen. Unfortunately, the car doesn’t have a working suspension, but it’s sturdy enough to seat a driver.
Related: Toyota GR Collaborates With Lego To Build A Full-Size Driveable Supra Out Of 480,000 Bricks
McLaren Formula 1, but make it LEGO Technic. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ltF4F3wGXi
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 7, 2022
This isn’t the first time Lego has done this kind of full-scale car. Over the years, they’ve made life-sized versions of the Bugatti Chiron, Lamborghini Sian, and McLaren Senna. Moving out of the realm of supercars, they’ve also created 1:1 scale replicas of the Chevy Silverado, Toyota Camry, and VW Type 2 Bus. However, all those vehicles were replicas of the real car, not their respective Lego sets, which makes the McLaren F1 race car unique in that regard.
This weekend’s Australian GP should be an interesting one, as not only have the drivers not raced there since 2019 due to the pandemic, but the track has also undergone a number of changes with the aim of making it faster and more flowing. That being said, McLaren‘s main focus for the weekend will likely be ironing out the issues they’ve faced in the first two races of the season as the team is currently running eighth in the Constructors’ Championship compared to their fourth place finish at the end of last year.
