In Miami Gardens, Florida, a project that seems like a child`s ultimate fantasy has come to life: constructing a full-scale Formula 1 car from almost 400,000 Lego pieces, designed to drive around the Miami Grand Prix track.
This ambitious concept emerged last year during a visit by senior management from the Danish company to their model factory in Kladno, Czech Republic. While brainstorming ways to promote Lego`s new collaboration with F1, the leadership team considered a bold possibility.
Julia Goldin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at the Lego Group, shared in Miami, “We were discussing and generating ideas together, asking, `What could we do with F1 that would be truly epic and unlike anything we`ve attempted before?`” She added, “Then the team proposed, `What about full-size, drivable cars?` It required time, as it was a fantastic idea but one that needed confirmation if it was achievable. That`s essentially how the process unfolded.”
Senior designer Jonathan Jurion and engineering manager specialist Martin Šmida were assigned to turn this idea into reality. Their objective was to precisely recreate full-scale versions of the newest Speed Champions Lego F1 car models. These creations had to both resemble the retail toys closely and be functional enough to complete a 3.3-mile lap of the Miami International Autodrome as part of the standard F1 pre-race driver parade.
While Lego has extensive experience creating detailed, life-size models for its theme parks, prior to the F1 initiative, only one full-scale car model had ever been made drivable. This is partly due to the inherent fragility of 400,000 Lego bricks, even when reinforced with specific adhesive, and also because a vehicle capable of driving necessitates a robust steel chassis, an electric motor, hydraulic braking, and power steering.
An additional challenge unique to the Miami project was the requirement to build only one car for each F1 team. This meant each model needed to be spacious enough to fit two F1 drivers.
Earlier this year in Kladno, Jurion showed ESPN a Speed Champions model, holding it in his hand while explaining how the 1/30th scale toy car was scaled up to a full-size structure.
He explained, “We began with this small model, redesigning it to fit two minifigures. While minifigures clearly don`t have human proportions, this provided the initial basis.”
“We then took that design and worked to scale it up,” he continued, “making the completed full-size car 30 times larger than the original model available in stores. Following that, we meticulously designed each component piece by piece to ensure the final product was as true to the original as possible.”
To maintain the correct scale while still fitting two drivers, the cockpit was extended. This arrangement allows one driver to sit directly behind the other, positioned between their teammate`s legs. (It will be interesting to see which driver takes the front seat in each team`s car, offering a glimpse into teammate dynamics).
Jurion mentioned, “We drew inspiration from two-seater airplane designs, where occupants sit one behind the other in tandem. It will be quite confined, but we aimed to maximize the available internal space for them.”
Šmida, responsible for building the car`s mechanical foundation, highlighted an extra feature designed to slightly improve comfort for the driver controlling the vehicle.
“We have space for two, and since we don`t know the exact height of the drivers, we included adjustable pedals,” he stated. “These pedals can be moved 10 centimeters backward or forward.”
Unlike typical Lego kits sold in stores, this project began without an instruction manual. Jurion and his design team utilized specialized software to plan the brick assembly layer by layer. This process was essential for forming the shapes that replicate F1 body components and integrating specific team sponsor logos using Lego bricks.
“We assemble the bricks virtually in the software, similar to building at home, but on a different scale,” Jurion clarified. “We add them layer by layer, much like constructing a building. Once the design is complete, we generate an assembly manual, resembling those found in retail kits, for our construction team. They then follow these instructions, layer by layer, gluing the bricks together to create these amazing cars.”
He added, “We construct the models in distinct sections – for example, the engine cover, the halo, and the nose are built separately – and then everything is put together in the final assembly.”
The only visible components not made entirely of genuine Lego bricks are the wheels and tires, which were borrowed from the F1 teams and tire provider Pirelli. Even the steering wheel features an external shell built from Lego, including details like switches and dials designed to mimic an actual F1 steering wheel.
The 400,000 bricks by themselves weigh 1,000 kilograms. Non-Lego elements, such as the supporting chassis structure, contribute an additional 500 kg. This brings the total weight to 1,500 kg, which is slightly less than double the weight of an actual F1 car.
Šmida`s main task was ensuring the completed cars could successfully finish the lap using their own power. The chassis needed to be robust enough to carry the significant weight of the bricks (literally a ton) and also accommodate an electric motor and drivetrain capable of propelling the structure to a top speed just under 13 mph. This speed is comparable to that of the trucks typically used for driver parades at other race tracks.
Overall, the project involved 3,000 hours dedicated to development and an additional 19,000 hours for assembling all ten cars.
Following the driver parade in Miami, these models are scheduled for a global tour, allowing both Lego and F1 enthusiasts to admire them. For Goldin and her leadership team, perhaps the most challenging aspect now is devising a plan to surpass this achievement with Lego`s next F1-related endeavor.
“That`s the question everyone is asking,” Goldin remarked. “And we are asking ourselves the very same thing.”
She concluded, “However, one principle we value is never allowing our imagination to be limited by what is perceived as possible. Our motto is always: Let`s make the impossible achievable. I am confident that our teams` creativity will propose yet another, perhaps even more ambitious, concept.”
Rupert Caldwell