F1 surprised fans Sunday with 10 drivable Lego re-creations of its race cars. The cars took over 22,000 hours to build and weighed twice as much as an actual F1 car.
Generally, before an F1 event, drivers enter the track on a flatbed truck, where they drive slowly waving at fans. On Sunday, before the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, the entrance was a bit flashier.
Drivers came out in full-size, drivable versions of their F1 cars made out of Lego bricks. All totaled, 10 vehicles were built by Lego sculptors, consuming 22,000 man-hours and some 4 million bricks.
A total of 26 builders worked on the cars. Each vehicle contained about 400,000 bricks and weighed twice as much as the actual F1 car. The bricks were built around a metal frame and held together with glue. Electric motors powered the cars and the tires were made by Pirelli, but otherwise, it was all Lego—even the steering wheel.
Lego and F1 struck a partnership last year, which led to several high-end F1 car kits showing up in stores. Sunday’s unveiling was kind of the reverse of that. Among the models that were rolling on the track were Lego McLaren and Ferrari vehicles.
“That was the most fun drivers’ parade we’ve ever had,” driver Lewis Hamilton said. “Some dirty driving from this one here (Pierre Gasly)! That was great fun.”
Part of the challenge in making a Lego F1 is that F1 teams are typically very secretive about how their cars are made, as they try to find competitive advantages. However, Lego says teams were open to working with it for this project, ensuring that even small details on the cars were accurate. The team also worked with parts manufacturers to ensure the cars would accelerate and brake sufficiently.
F1 had shown off the cars in the weeks before the Miami race, but kept the fact that they were drivable a secret until Sunday.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
