Announced last night (and leaked online several hours prior), the Lego Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car set is the first-ever official F1 kit Lego has ever produced for its Technic label. The kit was produced in close collaboration with designers and engineers at McLaren Racing as they developed the team’s 2022 F1 car.
Lego dropped a video to accompany the announcement, which featured current McLaren drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris admiring the model. Placed against the two men, it reveals the full size of the completed model, which is large. The finished model is 65cm (25.5 inches) in length, 27cm (10.5 inches) wide, and 13cm (5 inches) high. You’re going to need to set aside some shelf space for this thing.
The new kit is based upon the still-unannounced design of the 2022 McLaren car. Its colouring, however, is based on the team’s popular 2021 livery. Fans were quick to point out the kit actually gives a preview of how DRS (or the Drag Reduction System) will work on the new, rounded rear wing. It even has a working interior — as Norris points out in the video, rolling the model back and forth will cause the pistons in its V6 turbo engine to pump in and out. The model also has adjustable steering, suspension and differential for what Lego calls “precision cornering”.
Also a surprise for fans: though the car is running this season’s new 18-inch Pirelli tyres, they are adorned with a blue stripe on the outer wall. As F1 fans will know, the blue stripe signifies tyres that are used in especially wet weather. It seems this model can expect standing water on the track.
At a total of 1,432 pieces, this kit will keep you going for quite a while. If your memory of Lego is that of simple blocks for kids, then you may have been out of the loop for a spell. The Technic label is essentially Lego building for adults. Technic models offer a level of build complexity to well beyond the traditional kits for kids.
For the 2022 season, F1 will be running new, next-generation cars with significant changes to the previous aero model. The hope is that these changes will result in closer racing. At the time of writing, the only team to have formally unveiled a 2022 livery is Haas F1 Team. The other teams will follow throughout February as pre-season testing draws nearer.
Though the official press release indicates a price of $179.99 as the model’s RRP, the actual Australian price is $279.99. This is fairly steep, even by Aussie Lego standards. As fans know, anything with the F1 logo on it takes a hefty tithe.
The set drops on March 1, 2022, a month ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park. What a way to welcome Danny Riccs home. You can preorder the Lego Technic McLaren kit from the official Lego website.