The streets of Monte Carlo are special to just about anyone who has ever been associated with Formula One, but the Monaco Grand Prix holds particular significance for McLaren.
It was here in the principality that the team made its debut in 1966 and, thanks to global geopolitics impacting the schedule, it is here that the Woking-based outfit will celebrate its 1,000th race in the sport.
The Circuit de Monaco is largely the same as it was when Bruce McLaren arrived on the grid six decades ago, albeit with some changes designed to safely accommodate ever more powerful Formula One cars.
But McLaren itself is unrecognisable by any motorsport or commercial measurement. And the audience for Formula One is now much more diverse, global and younger than it was even a decade ago.
The creative and commercial sophistication of modern Formula One, as well as its multi-generational appeal is epitomised by McLaren’s decision to commemorate its milestone race by working with Lego to create specially designed helmets for drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The helmets were first mapped out in Lego bricks prior to production and a full Lego version will be available for fans to purchase complete with a minifigure of each driver.
Such a collaboration would have been unthinkable even ten years ago when Formula One’s audience skewed older and more male.
Driver envy of modern fans
At a launch event in Monaco’s Port Hercules, both drivers said they were envious of the opportunities that younger fans have to engage with Formula One.
“Growing up I would have loved a Lewis [set], a Jenson [set] and McLaren cars and stuff like that,” says Lando Norris in response to a question from BlackBook Motorsport. “There’s more access now to be a fan of someone because of Lego and various other things.
“Hopefully that now we have these [helmets], there might be other kids growing up that get to build it, and hopefully that is an inspiration to be a racing driver or to be part of McLaren.”
Piastri agrees: “The accessibility of the sport has improved a lot in the last five to ten years. As a kid, I probably didn’t want to sit and watch TV for an hour and a half and watch cars go around – I wanted to get my hands on something and be able to build something.
“Hopefully it gets people involved in racing from a much younger age, or just the interest, because unfortunately not everyone in the world is going to be able to come to an F1 race so the more experiences you can offer the better.”
The helmets had to be constructed in Lego first to ensure the designs were transferrable (Image credit: The Lego Group)
‘Multi-generational and multi-gender’
The expansion and diversification Formula One’s audience since Liberty Media’s takeover in 2016 has been well documented and has had a tangible impact on the finances of both the sport and its teams who have been able to secure more lucrative sponsorship deals in a wider range of categories.
This evolution, coupled with global reach, means Lego views Formula One as the ideal platform to reach multiple demographics, while McLaren sees a partner that will appeal to a wide section of its fanbase.
“If you’re partnering with a brand like the Lego brand, it’s a testament to how the sport is on a path to become so inclusive and so multi-generational and multi-gender, and a great experience,” explains Julia Goldin, chief product and marketing officer at the Lego Group.
“You’ve got to look at where’s the opportunity [to engage], and of course we want new fans, old fans – but there’s a real sweet spot of people that aren’t avid fans that don’t watch every week, but we want to engage with them and catch that imagination and bring them closer to our team,” added Louise McEwen, chief marketing officer of McLaren.
“I think Lego does that beautifully for us. It’s brilliant. As I said – young, old, men, women, it does it for everyone.”
Why helmets were the obvious opportunity
If not for the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, McLaren would have been celebrating their 1,000th race in Miami. But the team have been preparing for this landmark occasion for quite some time.
Work on the first prototypes started two years ago. The welcome complication of Norris adopting the world champion’s prerogative of using number one as his driver number was a “very last minute” adjustment, according to Goldin.
Driver helmets were also a much easier activation for Lego given that the new regulations completely changed the look of the cars this season, making it impossible to design commemorative replicas in Lego form with the lead times involved.
And despite the unforeseen delay to the celebrations, both McLaren and Lego are more than happy that fate has determined that they should take place where the team’s Formula One story started 60 years ago – adding further prestige to their collaboration.
“It does slightly give me goosebumps,” McEwen concludes. “The way that this race coincided with it actually being our first – I couldn’t have made that up two years ago, could you?
“What an incredible way to show where the sport and where our brands have come, that we’re here united – and it [gives] me goosebumps actually thinking about it.”
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