FORMULA ONE and Lego have taken the next step in their relationship at the British Grand Prix.
As Lewis Hamilton and co battle on track, the three podium sitters at Silverstone will be presented with a set of stunning trophies made completely out of Lego Bricks.
The trophy is inspired in design by the RAC Trophy[/caption]
The partnership comes as part of F1’s 75th anniversary celebrations at the iconic racetrack after it hosted the first ever F1 race in 1950.
A team of seven master builders spent a combined 210 hours meticulously designing and crafting four trophies – three for the drivers and one for the constructor – at the Lego model shop in Billund, Denmark.
Inspired by the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) trophy – handed to seven-time Hamilton after he won last year’s race at Silverstone – the new one-of-a-kind first place trophy shows off a stunning golden tint.
Standing at over 23 inches tall, the first place trophy is comprised of a staggering 2,717 Lego elements and weighs more than 2kg – while the constructors trophy shares the same characteristics.
The second and third place trophies are no less impressive a feat of Lego engineering for the first-ever version of the prize.
They also consist of 2,298 Lego elements each, both weigh in at 1.5kg and stand at over 17 inches tall.
But for Samuel Liltorp Johnson, Lego’s creative lead on the project, the trophies are the end of a “magic” journey.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport from Silverstone, Samuel reveals the project was something he had dreamed of since he was a kid – despite the project being very stressful as it only landed on his desk around Easter time.
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He said: “To be honest, if I could tell my my grandad when I was a kid that this was something that I would do, he’d probably be like, ‘as if, mate’.
“But for me it was something we did together in my family when I was a kid, we watched F1.
“The process of going through this, it’s been a bit breakneck speed, to be honest, like a real F1 race.
“We found out about it not that long ago, and we’ve really wanted to give it all and what it deserves, and we’ve been working very closely with the Silverstone team.
“I think, after all of that passion from both sides, learning each other’s stories and what it means, I think that’s really made it something that’s turned out quite beautiful.”
Samuel emphasises the team wanted to create a trophy infused with the heritage and magic of F1 combined with the Lego flair.
But it was a hard ask, with a completely new process for making the Lego Bricks being implemented to ensure they met the “breakneck” deadline.
Regardless, Samuel believes the team has “made magic” and hopes fans will enjoy the fruits of their labour.
He adds: “I think it’s a dream of everyone to be here at the pinnacle of F1 on its 75th birthday…
“We talked about the RAC trophy being a very beautiful piece of sculpture, and when you try and replicate that in square bricks it’s a bit of a challenge to get it 100 per cent perfect.
“But we didn’t want it to be a copy, it should be inspired by it, so one of the things that we put on that was kind of a bit outrageous, but we wanted to be playful with it as well.
“We have one of our F1 collectable cars mounted on the front of the trophy, so there’s actually a car on the trophy and also a little Lego Brick on the top, so that’s just kind of our signature, if you like, on the item itself.”
Samuel also feels the trophies are priceless, saying: “It’s been so many hours and everything, it’s got to be priceless.
“I think the experience for me, I can’t really put a monetary value on that.
“Being at Silverstone and just seeing all this going on and knowing we’re a part of that.
“It’s been pretty crazy.”
Samuel keeps talk of any future projects under wraps but insists he does not expect the partnership to go away anytime soon.
Lego previously created a set of life-size Lego F1 cars which the drivers had a blast driving around in before the Miami Grand Prix.
