No silverware, just Lego: British GP winners given brick-built trophies as Formula One targets new generation of fans
The trophies are part of a multi-year partnership between Lego and Formula One that has already put drivers in a fleet of 10 brick-built cars for a pre-race parade at the Miami Grand Prix, a moment that went viral.
'How does it feel after 15 years of F1 to get a podium (trophy) that's made out of Lego that you can just pull apart?,' McLaren's runner-up Oscar Piastri asked Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, on the podium for the first time after 239 starts.
'It's just made out of Lego that you can pull apart and probably buy next week,' explained the Australian teasingly.
'I love Lego. It's good. My daughter can play with it too. You've always got to see the bright side,' replied the German. 'But, you know, a bit of silver or gold would have been nice too, but I won't complain.'
Sunday's race marked 75 years of the championship at the Silverstone circuit where it started in 1950 and the winner's gold-adorned Lego trophy, modelled on the real RAC golden trophy, is made of 2,717 bricks.
It weighs more than 2kg and is more than 59cm high and, contrary to Piastri's assertion, cannot be bought as a kit.
The second and third-placed trophies were white with red and blue detailing respectively, while the constructors' was dark blue and gold.
'We wanted to create something very special because it's the 75th anniversary,' Lego's chief product and marketing officer Julia Goldin said.
The blocks are stuck together with glue, and took seven builders 210 hours to create in Denmark.
New audiences
Formula One is reaching out to a new demographic, and particularly a younger audience, with considerable success and has found partners in previously untapped areas.
That includes deals with Mattel's Hot Wheels toy cars, a 2026 collaboration with Disney's Mickey & Friends and Lego announced last year.
Emily Prazer, Formula One's chief commercial officer, rejected any suggestion of the sport 'dumbing down' and said the strategy was to make brands more accessible and reach out to those who may never go to a race.
'Lego puts us in nearly every shopping mall in the world,' she said. 'Disney helps us appeal to the next generation of fans. Hot Wheels and Mattel allow for kids to actually play with the cars at home.'
Goldin said Lego also appealed to more and more adults and had products that were intriguing to people with all kinds of interests.
'The same is happening with F1 and there is a real benefit of how the sport is able to engage different people with different interests and different elements of the sport,' she said.
'We are not just trying to turn the sport into a toy but actually trying to help the fans to experience the best.' — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Malay Mail
When Manchester ruled the music world: Oasis' reunion sparks nostalgia
MANCHESTER, June 13 — The return of the prodigal Oasis brothers to Manchester on Friday — on the second leg of their highly anticipated reunion tour — has rekindled memories of the city's time as a cultural epicentre. Returning to their roots for five sold-out shows at the northwestern English city's Heaton Park, the famous brothers have definitely created 'a buzz around the place', said Susan O'Shea, music expert and senior lecturer in sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University. The 1990s were a cultural high point for Manchester, when Oasis ruled the airwaves, following in the footsteps of the city's other musical giants. Bands such as Joy Division and The Smiths all paved Oasis's path to greatness, said Ed Glinert, whose 'Manchester Walks' honours those artists. The city is dotted with musical landmarks. Many of Manchester's most successful exports were influenced by one 1976 gig at the Free Trade Hall by punk pioneers the Sex Pistols, now etched into city folklore. 'Thousands of people have claimed attendance to this gig... but in fact there were only 42 people there,' Glinert explained outside the building. Among them were The Smiths singer Morrissey, The Fall frontman Mark E Smith and various members of Joy Division — later New Order — who were all inspired to form the bands that put Manchester on the map. Despite currently being in the midst of a heatwave summer, Glinert stressed that Manchester's famed bad weather was a 'very important factor' for all its musical heritage. 'Most of the year, it's dark, it's grey, it's cold, it's windy, it's wet. And that feeling diffuses through the music,' he said. 'Joy Division and The Smiths, they're both seen as melancholy. Even Oasis,.. what was their original name? Rain! You just can't get away from it'. 'Madchester' The 'Hacienda' nightclub helped reinvent the city's music scene with the arrival of house and rave music in the late 1980s. The city became known as 'Madchester', with bands like Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses capitalising on the buzz and inspiring brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher. 'Stone Roses was the first one, really, of the Manchester scene which Oasis based lots of their stuff on,' said Pete Howard, the 77-year-old owner of 'Sifters' record shop where the Gallagher brothers shopped as youngsters. Howard is immortalised as 'Mister Sifter' in the Oasis song Shakermaker. People still travel cross-continent to visit the monuments of Manchester's musical heritage. 'It feels like a pilgrimage for us. It's like meeting a living legend,' Veronica Paolacci, 32, from Milan, said after meeting Howard. And the city still boasts a vibrant scene, with O'Shea highlighting bands such as PINS and The Red Stains, hip-hop artists Aitch and Bugzy Malone, and venues such as The Peer Hat and Gullivers. Internet hit But the days of people across the globe avidly following the city's latest trends have largely gone. 'It's really good but it used to be a lot better when Britpop was bigger,' Dutch mining engineer Dan Verberkel, 38, said of the city's international reputation. And Manchester is not alone. Whether it be Liverpool and Merseybeat, Birmingham and heavy metal, Coventry and ska revival or Bristol and trip-hop, English cities churned out cultural movements, seemingly at will, until the millennium. But the well seems to have run dry, with fans relying on reunions for shared cultural moments. 'People have been looking for something to hang on to, a unifying reason to get back involved with live music,' said O'Shea. So what changed? 'The regional aspect of music is gone because of the computer,' said Glinert. 'Once you can get a computer in your bedroom, you're going to make noises that have nothing to do particularly with where you live. 'In the past, bands played live and that's how they created a sound'. — AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Rugby-Van Poortvliet's late try seals 22-17 win for England in Argentina
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - England Training - World Cup Warm-up - Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, Britain - July 31, 2023 England's Jack van Poortvliet during training Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley/File Photo (Reuters) -Replacement scrumhalf Jack van Poortvliet scored a try in the final minute as England claimed a 22-17 victory over hosts Argentina at the Estadio Bicentenario in San Juan on Saturday to take the series 2-0. Argentina led 17-14 at halftime and despite heavy England pressure in their 22, George Ford's penalty was the only points scored in the first 39 minutes of the second period until Van Poortvliet scampered over from a fine break by Guy Pepper. Centre Seb Atkinson and fullback Freddie Steward scored tries as England, without a host of regular players who are on tour with the British & Irish Lions in Australia, completed a memorable series win. England had lost hooker and co-captain Jamie George on the morning of the game after he was called into the Lions squad. "We found a way in the end. We had a lot of opportunities in the 22 but couldn't get over the line, I'm proud of the boys," Ford said. "I like our fight, our togetherness, showing how much we care. There was some great stuff, we should have scored more tries but the attitude of the group is great." Centre Lucio Cinti and wing Ignacio Mendy crossed for scores for Argentina, who had to weather heavy England pressure in the second half and could not see the game out for at least a draw. "We were not good enough, we have to be honest with ourselves. I am sorry we couldn't get the win, we gave away too many penalties," Argentina captain Julian Montoya said. RECORD CAP Argentina number eight Pablo Matera did become the most capped player in his country's history in his 111th appearance, though it was marked with a second half yellow card. The tourists made a fast start and had a try inside four minutes as Ford's pinpoint cross field kick allowed Atkinson to score. England were reduced to 14 players when Ben Curry was penalised for a high tackle and while he was off the field, scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz managed to hold on to a loose ball and release Cinti to dot down. England showed excellent handling skills to score their second try as they pulled Argentina defenders into a narrow formation that allowing Steward to canter over in the corner. Argentina scored their second try on the stroke of halftime as Steward failed to deal with a chip over the England backline as the ball nicked the post and fell kindly for Mendy to dot down for a 17-14 lead. Ford's penalty was reward for heavy English pressure early in the second half as he levelled the score. Argentina were having difficulty with their exits from their own 22, which meant they were constantly under pressure, and it tolled as Pepper broke and fed Van Poortvliet to snatch victory at the death. (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Wales coach says all pressure on England ahead of rivals' Euro 2025 clash
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - Wales v Italy - Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Britain - June 3, 2025 Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson looks on Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Wales coach Rhian Wilkinson said her team would love nothing more than to spoil England's party when the neighbours and rival nations meet in their final Euro 2025 Group D match on Sunday. Defending champions England already have one foot in the quarter-finals, with a victory ensuring they advance to the knockout round. A draw would also put them through provided France beat the Netherlands. But Wales, who have lost both matches so far at their European championship debut, certainly are not going to make it easy for them. "It would be detrimental to look past us," said the Canadian coach Wilkinson at a press conference. "The pressure's all on them. We know there's still a chance for us, we're aware of it. And when there's a chance, there's always an exciting element that we get to go towards and not be frightened of because what do we have to fear? It's just an exciting opportunity. "We're going to push them to the very end. We're in a very close group - England will be forced to play a strong line-up. We get to show up and spoil the party and that's a wonderful job to have." Wales' chances of advancing are slim - they need to beat England by at least four goals and for France to beat the Dutch. But they would happily play spoiler. "As a Welsh woman, do you want to knock England out? Of course you do," said midfielder Angharad James. "It's in our blood, our DNA and the rivalry has always been and always will be there. It's a rivalry match and it's one that everyone wants to play in. "But the pressure is all on England. They have to come out, they have to perform. They're expected to win this game within our group. We believe that we can upset a very top team, and we're ready for the fight tomorrow. "We'll give it our absolute all for our country and to make them prouder." Wales were drawn into arguably the toughest group of the tournament, with three teams in the top 11 of FIFA's world rankings. But they have been roared on by huge and noisy cheering sections - the Red Wall - at both games, and were rewarded in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to France when 38-year-old Jess Fishlock scored the team's first goal at a major tournament. (Reporting by Lori Ewing in Oberentfelden, Switzerland; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
