Formula 1, the elite of motorsport, and Lego, the iconic construction toy, have something in common: they both have legions of fans around the world and an incomparable audience.
Now, the brands have created a partnership to win over a new generation of admirers — from children to adults — who love bricks as much as race cars.
Lego and Formula 1 announced in September a collaboration to create opportunities that engage young families and new fans with the sport, using the popular toymaker as a means of connection. This will include the new F1-themed Lego kit set that was unveiled last week during the .
Continues after advertising
The kits cover the entire Lego portfolio, from simple options for young children to more elaborate builds, such as F1 pit stops, team-specific cars and collectibles. The Lego Speed Champions line recreates in detail the cars of the ten teams participating in the 2024 racing season.
The Danish company will be present in all , with interactive pop-ups for fans, giving the public the chance to experience motorsport in a more active way, beyond just watching.
“Over the last four years, it has become clear that F1 has become not only a prestigious sport for car enthusiasts, but also one that has attracted many families, children and different types of audiences,” said Julia Goldin, director of Lego products and marketing, in an interview with Fortune.
Continues after advertising
The popularity of motorsport has grown significantly in recent years, driven by the launch of the Formula 1 series on Netflix, Drive to Survive, which has generated a larger fan base around the world. This has also had a positive effect on the audience for F1 races, sparking new interest in the sport, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2025. The series provides a behind-the-scenes look at a sport that, until recently, was little known to the general public.
While the fascination with F1 has transformed in recent years, even the concept of being a motorsport fan is evolving, ranging from expanding the female audience to creating engagement with influencers and content creators.
The partnership with LEGO seeks to tap into F1’s growing base of young fans, including more than 4 million enthusiasts aged 8 to 12 in Europe and the US. Furthermore, around 40% of sports followers on Instagram are under 25 years old.
Continues after advertising
Defining and understanding F1’s growing young audience has been one of the sport’s priorities since its acquisition by Liberty Media in 2017. This audience likely coincides with the segment in which Lego has acquired great expertise over its 92-year history.
“Everyone in sport wants to reach the next generation of fans, and Lego offers us the opportunity to do that,” said Emily Prazer, F1 commercial director. She highlighted that the partnership also reinforces the sport’s “365-day always-on strategy”, which provides fans with ways to connect with F1 all year round, not just on race days.
“Adults obviously understand the sport, and we want to provide the basic material to start explaining the strategy [da F1] from an early age,” said Prazer.
Continues after advertising
Of course, Lego has collaborated with the F1 brand in the past, releasing exclusive products in partnership with individual teams such as McLaren Racing. These deals have generated “a lot of traction,” Goldin said, giving Lego an idea of the types of products to create. The new partnership, which will begin in the new year, will be a multi-year collaboration involving the entire F1 franchise.
Motorsport has always been considered an elite sport, being less accessible compared to football. It is also associated with opulence, as races take place in stunning locations such as Monaco and Tokyo, and tickets for Grand Prix weekends can cost hundreds of dollars per person. The cars used in the sport are true engineering innovations, making technological innovation and investment essential elements of the F1 championship.
Innovation is nothing new for Lego. It has also partnered with most of the major franchises popular with fans in recent years, such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. The brand is also a reference in everything related to STEM, offering a complete line of brick sets dedicated to space.
“If we can continue to drive relevance, engagement, innovation and creativity for both our teams and all of our fans, that will be wonderful,” said Goldin.
The Danish giant’s wide variety of sets, which span different themes, price ranges and ages, are among the main reasons why it is one of the biggest toy companies in the world. And she also managed to defy a crisis that impacted the overall toy market.
With its new agreement with F1, the group hopes to capture racing enthusiasts and meet fans in a new environment, including on race weekends.
This article originally appeared on Fortune.com
