How LEGO is turning F1 fandom into a marketing engine

Formula 1 may be attracting a new generation of young fans, but for many of them, getting close to the sport does not necessarily mean getting trackside.  With more than four million children aged eight to 12 actively following F1 across key global markets, and 40% of F1’s Instagram followers under 25, LEGO sees this an opportunity to play a part.

Banking on activations, LEGO is looking to give younger fans a more accessible way to engage with the sport through play, products and experiences. That thinking sits behind the LEGO Group’s latest Formula 1 push, which goes beyond putting its brand alongside the racing series to create different entry points into F1 fandom.

In Singapore, “LEGO F1 Experience the Thrill” is bringing that strategy to life at Suntec City until 18 October, with a life-sized VCARB F1 LEGO car, interactive racing challenges and a minifigure hunt spanning the wider precinct.

Don't miss: Is Formula 1 the right track for Disney’s Gen Z ambitions? 

In an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Nina Patricia Da Costa, general manager, Singapore, Malaysia, Travel Retail APAC, the LEGO Group, said that the partnership allows LEGO to meet fans across different stages of their relationship with the sport.

“Today's consumers move fluidly between sport, entertainment, social media, and physical retail,” she said.

“At The LEGO Group, we approach campaign architecture by creating a connected ecosystem where every touchpoint builds on the last, connecting early product discovery, immersive physical activations, and retail engagement across our markets.”

LEGO’s multi-year partnership with F1 spans LEGO Technic, LEGO City, LEGO Speed Champions and LEGO Editions, allowing the brand to cater to different ages and forms of fandom - from children discovering the sport through play to adult collectors building detailed cars and displaying driver helmets.

“Fandom is not one-size-fits-all,” Da Costa said. “Different fans want to participate in the things they love in different ways, whether that is through building and playing, collecting, displaying, or simply connecting with a community around a shared interest.”

In Singapore, that idea is built directly into the experience.

Visitors to the Suntec City activation can create a personalised LEGO F1 Race Pass and take on challenges based on different parts of the sport. They can build a LEGO F1 steering wheel against the clock, test their reaction speed, race virtually and pose alongside a LEGO F1 Racer Minifigure.

Completing three of the four challenges unlocks rewards including a buildable LEGO steering wheel and vouchers.

Around the precinct, 10 life-sized LEGO F1 Racer Minifigures and their technical crews turn the wider shopping centre into part of the experience, with visitors hunting for QR codes across different locations.

“Today's consumers want active co-creation and participatory play rather than static brand displays,” Da Costa said. “When a brand invites consumers to participate and build alongside them, engagement transforms from a simple visit into a memorable, shared accomplishment.”

The activation's biggest draw is a life-sized VCARB F1 LEGO Big Build made from nearly 400,000 LEGO elements and requiring more than 1,800 hours of precision craftsmanship. But for LEGO, the spectacle is only part of the proposition. As Da Costa puts it: 

To be worth leaving home for, an experience needs to offer something consumers cannot get digitally: a sense of scale, active participation and shared connection.

That is why the activation also features a 3m by 2m Mosaic Wall created with Adult LEGO Fans, with members of the public invited to contribute to the build from 9 October.

The experience then extends into retail, with participating LEGO Certified Stores offering Make & Take sessions, a LEGO Reaction Challenge and F1-related promotions. Vouchers earned through the Suntec City experience can also be used at the nearby store. According to Da Costa: 

Physical retail is increasingly becoming a place to experience a brand, not just transact with it.

“As consumers can discover and purchase products online, physical spaces need to offer something additional: opportunities to interact, participate and build a connection with the brand,” she added.

The strategy extends beyond Singapore, with LEGO also bringing its F1 experience to Ombak KLCC in Kuala Lumpur, including what it describes as Malaysia's first life-sized 1:1 LEGO Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance Car.

LEGO is measuring the experience beyond footfall and sales, tracking Race Pass completion, QR scans, user-generated content and whether event rewards drive traffic into LEGO Certified Stores.

“While footfall and commercial conversion remain essential baselines, measuring experiential marketing today requires evaluating across broader dimensions,” Da Costa said. “For example, depth of active engagement, earned social advocacy, and ecosystem synergies.”

For LEGO, the opportunity is ultimately to make F1 fandom tangible. A sport that is watched on screens and experienced at the track can also be built on a table, raced through a virtual challenge, hunted across a shopping centre or carried home in a box.

“Through LEGO play and building, fans can recreate and reimagine the world of Formula 1, while exploring the mechanics and technology behind the sport, brick by brick,” Da Costa said.

Related articles:      
From personalisation to conversation: Formula 1 enters a new era of fan engagement 
LEGO invites children to craft their own hero origin story  
LEGO sends Olivia Rodrigo fans on a GPS-powered hunt