Overview
- All 22 Formula 1 drivers and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem drove individual, team‑liveried LEGO minicars in a pre-race parade at Silverstone on Sunday, with Lewis Hamilton participating despite earlier doubts.
- Several drivers tried to cut Turn 1 and nine minicars became beached in the gravel, forcing drivers, marshals and Ben Sulayem to dig out and push the karts free while some competitors abandoned their vehicles.
- Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso crossed the line first and was declared the winner of the novelty lap after some drivers cut the final corner to gain position.
- The minicars were large bespoke builds from LEGO’s Kladno factory, each made from about 28,000 bricks, taking over 6,400 build hours, weighing roughly 280 kg and able to reach about 25 kph.
- The on-track chaos produced wide viral coverage and renewed driver complaints that staged marketing activations undermine their professional image and add unpaid media obligations, which could prompt closer scrutiny of future F1 promotions.