LEGO said to feature named Formula 1 drivers in 2025 – but likely not as hoped

Formula 1 fans may have been hoping for named driver minifigures in the LEGO partnership for 2025 but that's looking increasingly unlikely.

Fresh rumours for a LEGO Icons set based on Formula 1, 10353 Nigel Mansell’s Formula 1 Car, suggest that another iconic Formula 1 driver could be joining Ayrton Senna as an Icons minifigure in 2025. That will be good news for those hoping that more Formula 1 drivers will be featured as minifigures but demonstrates a growing trend of how the LEGO Group is approaching the drivers.

While each team is said to get a LEGO Speed Champions set in March 2025, there's no word on whether every driver will get a minifigure version of themselves – and that's perhaps a tall ask. Considering these sets need to be developed months in advance and the 2025 driver slate is still unconfirmed, there's simply not enough time to have an accurate and up to date pool of minifigures.

Indeed, just this week Kick Sauber announced that its two current drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, have been axed for 2025, signing young Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto instead. With sets launching in just a few months, that's a prime example of how short a time the LEGO Group would have to work on a minifigure if we're getting minifigures of all 2025 drivers on the grid.

Instead, the LEGO Icons rumour suggests that 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna won't be the only set to focus on one car and driver pairing. 10353 Nigel Mansell’s Formula 1 Car has a similar rumoured price and piece count –  $69.99 for 797 pieces – as 10330, suggesting that it could follow a similar blueprint – and that feels like a smarter move for the LEGO Group.

Formula 1 drivers change seats all the time and, to be frank, not all of them will make it into the motorsports hall of fame. In terms of creating LEGO sets that will last and be as relevant one, five, or even ten years down the line, choosing drivers to be made as minifigures should be more selective.

While every 2025 Formula 1 team is said to get a LEGO Speed Champions set, including generic drivers is how you can help those sets to last beyond 2025. No matter whose behind the wheel, those sets will still reflect the team as a whole, rather than any specific personality.

That still leaves room to pay homage to iconic drivers, as seen in 2024's 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna and the rumoured 10353 Nigel Mansell’s Formula 1 Car. The LEGO designers then have the space to be selective about which drivers they want to immortalise as LEGO minifigures and ensure that they pick those who fans will most want to display as part of a collection.

Of course, we're speculating for now based on the limited information we've had through rumours. We'll need to wait for official confirmation from the LEGO Group before we know if any or all drivers will appear as minifigures in 2025.

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