Lego has released many popular build-and-display sets from familiar films, television shows and brands, from Nike and Disney to even Nasa. But this year, one partnership stood out above the others: Formula One.
The Danish building bricks company released a wave of F1 sets, from small Speed Champions cars to complex Technic models, and all have been met with strong demand. For many, including the sizeable motorsports fan base, this may well be Lego’s best collaboration of this and other years to come.
An old connection
Lego’s link with Formula One goes back further than many think. In the 1980s and 1990s, it released Technic sets that resembled racing cars, though without official licences. Ferrari was the first team to appear in licensed Lego sets in the early 2000s, and fans often adapted them to look more like real F1 cars.
A major step came in 2022 with the launch of the Technic McLaren F1 car. It was the first time Lego worked directly with an F1 team on a set, and it showed the potential for more detailed F1 models.
The set allowed F1 fans to build their own car, which gave them a better understanding of what goes into these engineering marvels. For Lego fans, it was a chance to get closer to the popular motorsport.
A real partnership
In September 2024, Lego and Formula 1 announced a multi-year partnership, set to launch with the 2025 season. The collaboration aimed to bring F1 racing to a younger audience through hands-on building experiences, offering sets that ranged from Duplo for pre-schoolers to more complex Technic and Speed Champions models for older builders and collectors.
The announcement paved the way for major releases in 2025. In March, Lego unveiled two Technic sets: the Ferrari SF-24 F1 Car and the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car. The Ferrari, made up of 1,361 pieces, features a working suspension, two-speed gearbox and steering. The Red Bull, with 1,639 pieces, includes a V6 engine, slick tyres and detailed team livery.
Alongside these, Lego launched 10 Speed Champions sets, each representing a team from the 2024 F1 grid – Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Williams, Haas, Alpine, Sauber, Red Bull and Racing Bulls were all included. Each set contains between 240 and 270 pieces, offering options for younger fans while also appealing to collectors.
Despite appearing like the 10 cars could be a similar build with different stickers, each provided a unique experience with different ways to make the small models look as close as possible to the real thing.
Lego has also released a Nigel Mansell Williams Racing set from 1992 as part of the Icons line. This follows last year’s release of Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/4. Both of these releases celebrate the history of F1 and some of its most beloved drivers and cars.
Why does it work?
The fit between Lego and F1 feels natural now. Formula One is about precision, engineering and performance. Lego is about creativity and crafting objects from the ground up. Both reward patience, focus and attention to detail.
As F1 tries to attract younger fans, especially in the US and Middle East, Lego offers a fun way for children and families to connect with teams through building.
For adults and collectors, it brings something as complex and beautiful as an F1 car into their homes. It’s a peek behind the curtain at how they are assembled and what makes them so special.
Bricks on the track
Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in May 2025, the popularity of the partnership for fans of both brands reached a pinnacle when Formula One introduced a unique twist to the traditional drivers' parade. All 20 drivers took the wheel of 10 fully driveable life-size versions of the Speed Champions cars, each custom-designed to match their team's colours and liveries.
The near 1:1 scale vehicles, constructed from nearly 400,000 Lego bricks and weighing 1,000kg, were built over 22,000 hours by a team of 26 designers and engineers at Lego's Kladno factory in the Czech Republic. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 20kph, the cars featured authentic details, including sponsor logos and Pirelli tyres.
The parade was not only a fun experience for both drivers and fans, but also demonstrated the painstaking detail behind Lego cars, and how much work goes into making them look like the real deal.
The Mercedes-AMG team's car used in the parade is on display at Abu Dhabi's Galleria Mall to celebrate race week, giving fans a chance what these intricate builds look like up close. Fans attending the Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit can also partake in the brick building fun at Lego's pop up booth where all the F1 cars can be bought.
A verdict and a prediction
For many, Lego might seem like an activity for young people. While that is still true, there are many adults around the world that partake either alone or with their children. There are many intellectual properties that have now become synonymous with a Lego release, from Star Wars to Marvel.
But for fans of cars and motorsports, the output through the Speed Champions and Technic sets might feel minor compared to how many sets are released for other themes. With the F1 partnership, the options have increased, and there’s more to look forward to.
As for what comes next, ideally Lego could release all the cars on the grid every year in the Speed Champions line as it would be nice to see a continuation even though there will always be more popular teams than others.
For the Technic line, the release output is perfect, and it’s safe to expect two F1 cars every year. As for the cars in the Icons line, it would be great to see a Michael Schumacher Ferrari or Fernando Alonso Renault, allowing the brand – and its base of builders – to continue the celebration of F1’s rich history.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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more from Janine di Giovanni
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2051.1%25%3Cbr%3EFrancois%20Fillon%3A%2024.2%25%3Cbr%3EJean-Luc%20Melenchon%3A%2011.8%25%3Cbr%3EBenoit%20Hamon%3A%207.0%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%202.9%25%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESecond%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2095.1%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%204.9%25%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
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The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Company%20profile
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Company%C2%A0profile
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My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
