LEGO Speed Champions welcomed 10 Formula 1 sets on March 1, the largest wave the theme's ever seen. Here's how it came about.
LEGO Speed Champions made history on March 1 with its biggest-ever wave. 10 sets for 10 Formula 1 teams, each one bringing something different to the table – and we're not just talking about the colours.
We've ranked all 10 LEGO Speed Champions Formula 1 cars here, as well as picked out the key differences between all the brick-built race cars. Now though, let's hear from the people behind the collection on how it came about in the first place.
A collection like no other
"While we've done individual cars before for LEGO Speed Champions, we've never done anything at this scale," explained LEGO Design Manager Dan Meehan, speaking at the official launch of the LEGO x Formula 1 partnership in November, 2024. "We have all 10 teams created in the most fantastic level of detail."
There's a clear focus on doing something never before seen. While the LEGO City, Technic, and Icons Formula 1 sets are undoubtedly impressive, we've seen very similar models and play sets in the LEGO system before.
With LEGO Speed Champions, on the other hand, the goal from the very beginning was to achieve something never before attempted. The scale of the collection, with all 10 teams involved, and the level of detail the team wanted to accomplish, was something new. To do it, it required a new way of thinking.
"With the other cars [in City] we started toy first but here we started car first," Dan said. "We took the reference material from all 10 teams, so that's videos and images and liveries, and then tried to recreate those as accurately as possible with LEGO elements."
The focus on the real-life cars is what makes the LEGO Speed Champions collection pop. Sure, there are some inaccuracies but most feel unavoidable when you're translating a 798kg race car down to a 250-piece LEGO set.
'We did it with a smile'
Making sure all of the LEGO Speed Champions cars were different from one another was a clear consideration for the team. An important factor to making sure the collection is pulled off, it did present some tricky building challenges.
"When you're building and optimising a model, you can come up with certain solutions," Dan said. "You think, that's a great way to build side pods...but then you have to come up with nine other great ways to build side pods because you want them to be different. It was a lot more work for the design team – but a lot of work that we did with a smile."
It also required a lot of work from a lot of people – with more groups involved than your average LEGO set. Even a typical licensed LEGO set is usually a partnership between the LEGO Group and one, maybe two, other companies. In this case, the LEGO designers were coordinating with 10 teams, as well as Formula 1 as an entity.
"It's been amazing [working with all 10 Formula 1 teams] and if you look at the detail of all the Speed Champions cars and also some of the Technic cars, there's been a lot of very detailed work done with the teams," noted Chief Product and Marketing Officer Julia Goldin, speaking to Brick Fanatics at the same event as Dan. "They're lucky because a lot of the team engineers are also massive LEGO fans. I just saw one of them who showed me his own builds of Ferrari cars. From that perspective, they're really open to the brand and they give a lot of great input and ideas.
"Of course, working with 10 teams is challenging, just as an undertaking and at that scale," she added. "Each team has its own way of delivering the car, the livery – the more detail you get, the more intense the collaboration will become."
The final effect
All in all, the LEGO Speed Champions sets are certainly distinct from one another and you don't even have to look too closely to see it. Formula 1 fans may well choose to cherry-pick their favourite teams but there's a certain satisfying edge to being able to display all 10 at once.
"Individually, these cars are amazing but as a collection, as a Formula 1 fan, these make me smile so much," concluded Dan.
The LEGO Speed Champions Formula 1 wave is out now and available to buy for £22.99 / $26.99 / €26.99 a piece on LEGO.com and from third-party retailers like Brick Deals. You can also buy the complete collection of all 10 directly from Brick Deals.
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