Pump the brakes and roll out the red carpet. Leicester Square is about to welcome a masterpiece of fine machinery to its streets, as a life-size recreation of Ayrton Senna’s infamous MP4/4 race car will be rocking up to send Formula 1® fans swooning. And the bold red brick-like cherry on top? It’s made completely out of LEGO®. You heard right, it’s an epic sculpture of one of Formula 1®’s most successful car designs ever, created from over 400,000 pieces of LEGO® and it’s parking up right here in London – at the LEGO Store Leicester Square funnily enough.
Make sure to bring your camera (or charge up your phone) as this is solid selfie material. It’s completely free to see but will only be there for two much-too-short days. Head on down on Friday, July 26 or Saturday, July 26 (or both days if you fancy) to see it in its shiny plastic brick ‘flesh’. You’ll find the incredible creation outside the LEGO® store in a DP World container. DP World is the official logistics partner of the McLaren Formula 1® team and you can thank them for collaborating with LEGO® group to bring the iconic car of the legendary driver to life – in LEGO® form.
The McLaren MP4/4 race car is one of the most successful designs in Formula 1® history, helping Ayrton Senna and Alan Proist achieve sweet victory in fifteen out of sixteen races in the 1988 season. Powered by Honda, it held the record for the highest win rate in a season until Red Bull Racing RB19 (also powered by Honda) swooped in to steal the title in 2023.
Fancy making your own? This fascinating model took over 820 hours to design and build by a talented team, but don’t worry, you don’t need to clear the calendar, round up your friends or pack your toothbrush. Between 10am and 12pm both days (on Friday 26 and Saturday 27) you can put your brick-building skills to the test as the LEGO® Store Leicester Square will be hosting special Make & Take workshops, inviting fans to create and take home a miniature version of the LEGO® Speed Champions McLaren Formula 1® Car. But you’ll have to be quick, only a limited amount are available each day. Find out more here.