As the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend builds momentum, The LEGO Group and F1 ACADEMY have revealed a multi-year partnership that brings a real LEGO Racing car to the championship. Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman will pilot the entry when it debuts in 2026, marking one of the most significant brand collaborations to enter the all-female series since its launch in 2023. The announcement arrived with another major reveal: the first official F1 ACADEMY LEGO Speed Champions set, now available for pre-order.
Esmee Kosterman Takes the Wheel
The 2026 season will double as Kosterman’s first full campaign in the series. The 20-year-old made her F1 ACADEMY debut last year as a Wild Card at Zandvoort and comes in with notable momentum, including a historic win in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup. Her new car carries an exclusive LEGO Racing livery created by the brand’s in-house design team. The pattern blends motorsport motifs with LEGO’s signature playful palette, combining stylised checkered elements with brick-inspired shapes across the car and driver suit. The livery underscores the project’s aim of merging real-world performance with LEGO’s imaginative spirit.
Partnership Builds Representation and Fan Engagement
The collaboration lands at a time when F1’s global audience is expanding sharply, especially among women. According to research from The LEGO Group, women now make up 42% of the fanbase. The same report shows 87% of young girls want to see more opportunities for women in motorsport, and more than half can imagine themselves behind the wheel. The LEGO partnership intends to support this momentum by increasing visibility, representation and access within the sport.
The first product from the deal — the LEGO Speed Champions F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car — includes 201 pieces, aerodynamic details, Esmee’s #32 race number and a matching minifigure in the LEGO Racing colorway. Designed to bring the championship closer to younger fans, the set mirrors F1 ACADEMY’s focus on nurturing female talent. This weekend, at the inaugural F1 ACADEMY round at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, LEGO will also award podium finishers with custom LEGO Botanicals Bouquets, each built from more than 2,000 individual elements.
Explore the partnership further or pre-order the set now through LEGO’s official website.