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📢 Update (February 17, 2026, 9:10 AM ET / 3:10 PM CET): Now it’s official! LEGO has just announced the McLaren F1 Team MCL39 (42228) model from the Technic theme, which recreates the orange race car. Unfortunately, the surprise factor was spoiled by the accidental images that appeared alongside the LEGO Speed Champions MCL 38 (77251).
The Technic McLaren consists of 1675 pieces and is listed at LEGO.com for an RRP of $229.99 / £199.99 / €229.99, where it’s already available for pre-order. Since it’s not an exclusive set, you can expect the usual discounts at retailers soon.
We’ve added all the official images and info below in the post, so you can get a detailed impression of the set.
Original post: The LEGO Group apparently continues to pursue the hobby they established last year of assigning unreleased set images to the wrong products. After last year’s first images of the Stranger Things: The Creel House (11370) were briefly attributed to a Creator 3-in-1 set (31170), they’re now mixing up the versions of the McLaren F1 Team MCL38 and MCL39 in Billund and published the first images of the unreleased LEGO Technic McLaren F1 Team MCL39 (42228) on the product page of the already available Speed Champions MCL 38 (77251).
The LEGO Technic F1 vehicle will consist of 1675 parts, is based on the 2025 racing car from Team McLaren, and is scheduled for release on March 1, 2026. We don’t know exactly when the official product reveal by LEGO was planned, but McLaren will unveil its 2026 vehicle on February 9, which would be a fitting date for a LEGO product reveal.
LEGO 42228 McLaren F1 Team MCL39 Race Car
As usual with licensed Technic vehicles marked 18+, the RRP is set at the upper end of the spectrum and is rumored to be $229.99 / £199.99 / €229.99.
Key details summarized:
Set number: 42228
Name: McLaren F1 Team MCL39 Race Car
Pieces: 1,675
Age: 18+
Price (RRP): $229.99 / £199.99 / €229.99
Release: March 1, 2026
More images:
Lifestyle images
Product description:
Race to glory with this detailed LEGO® Technic™ McLaren MCL39 F1® Car model kit for adults (42228). This set makes a great gift idea for motorsport fans, offering a challenging and rewarding building experience as you recreate the detailed features of this 1:8 scale F1® car model. Assemble the details of the 2025 McLaren MCL39 F1® car as you build the steering, suspension, gearbox and differential. Activate the DRS, then remove the engine cover to examine the V6 engine. Enjoy your victory lap as you proudly display the model in pole position as a tribute to your passion for F1®. Build your dream garage with the collection of LEGO Technic vehicle sets for adults (each sold separately). Enjoy enhanced building with the LEGO Builder app, zooming and rotating with 3D instructions, while saving and tracking progress – all from the app. Set contains 1,675 pieces.
F1® CAR BUILDING KIT – Own the track with this LEGO® Technic™ McLaren MCL39 F1® Car (42228) for adults, which is packed with features to delight F1® fans
AUTHENTIC FUNCTIONS – Explore the car’s realistic details, including push-rod and pull-rod suspension, steering and differential as you relive the excitement of the F1® season with this model car kit
V6 ENGINE AND DRS – Remove the engine cover to examine the F1® car model’s V6 engine, then check out the 2-speed gearbox and DRS activator, which adjusts the rear wing
BUILD AND DISPLAY – Enjoy an immersive building project with this car building kit then place the 1:8 scale model on display in any room or office to celebrate your passion for F1® cars
F1® GIFT IDEA – This STEM project makes a great gift for adults who love engineering kits and the McLaren F1® Team
COLLECT YOUR BUILDS – With the LEGO® Builder app, you can build your models using 3D instructions, track your progress and save all your sets within the app
ENJOY A REWARDING PROJECT – Explore engineering concepts and enjoy a rewarding building project with the collection of LEGO® Technic™ vehicle sets for adults, sold separately
DIMENSIONS – A 1,675-piece set with a LEGO® F1® car measuring over 5 in. (13 cm) high, 24 in. (61 cm) long and 9.5 in. (25 cm) wide
At first glance, the race car largely corresponds to the Speed Champions version that was introduced as part of the first major F1 Speed Champions wave in March 2025. We’ve put both vehicles in a slider for comparison.
The LEGO Technic McLaren F1 Team MCL39 (42228) joins a series of three other LEGO Technic F1 vehicles and must now face comparison with the Ferrari SF-24 F1 Car (42207) and the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car (42206) from March 2025, as well as the Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance (42171) from March 2024. These three F1 race cars consist of 1,361 to 1,643 pieces and cost $219.99 / £189.99 / €219.99 to $229.99 / €229.99.
What do you think of this first impression of the new LEGO Technic McLaren F1 Team MCL39 (42228)? Can you get excited about this vehicle, or are you completely satisfied with the Speed Champions version? What do you think about LEGO accidentally revealing the vehicle prematurely? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
📝 This article was last updated on February 17, 2026. The original post is from February 1, 2026.
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