the LEGO Group’s Post

Why do almost all of the 2024 F1 cars being launched look the same? They have minimal colours - and are predominantly black. (we'll give Scuderia Ferrari a pass for their beautiful red livery😍). Of course, that black isn't paint - it's the underlying carbon fibre. CF is a material that is now a core element at the pinnacle of the automotive market. It's 40% lighter and up to 3x stronger than aluminium, making it perfect for high-performance wheels - like our new CF wheels range. F1 tech and out-of-the-box material usage always finds its way onto the streets. We've already seen fantastic high-end designs incorporating tech and style from the likes of Kahn Design Ltd, Twisted Automotive Limited, INEOS Automotive and Overfinch. Beautiful designs and adaptions that bring performance, luxury and F1-type tech to the market. So, (other than our CF wheels!) what do you think will be the next F1 development we'll see in the mainstream? Share your thoughts in the comments 👇 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile #F12024 #F1tech #Engineering #Design

Gary Anderson: The importance of an overlooked F1 design area https://lnkd.in/eKKSmdYq Four teams have introduced modifications either to the halo fairing or the cockpit headrest in recent races, underlining how aerodynamically sensitive the area around the driver’s head is. Mercedes added what it described as a pair of “small flick” vanes behind the halo in Shanghai, designed to control the airflow as it passes out of the cockpit - and therefore improve the airflow to the rear wing. Williams made a small modification to the shape of the fairing on the central part of the halo where it separates into the two parts that curve outwards from the cockpit. The point of it is to improve aero efficiency and the airflow to the rear wing and beam wing. And RB modified the shape of the headrest behind the driver's head on the basis that it reduced airflow separation. This was followed by Alpine realigning its halo vanes on either side of its cockpit in Monaco to better distribute airflow to the rear wing and beam wing at the back of the car. None of these changes are visibly big, but the fact four teams made modifications proves how much there is to gain in compensating for the inconvenience of having to accommodate the driver’s head. And this has been a significant challenge for many years. Looking back to 1996, F1 introduced regulations requiring a compulsory headrest that went around the sides of the driver’s helmet to protect their heads from lateral impacts. That led to some very different solutions being introduced. Ross Brawn, then at Benetton, wasn’t very complimentary about the design that Adrian Newey at Williams and we at Jordan came up with (...).

McLaren GT design concept, from a 3/4 front view

Some cars turn heads, others command your attention - and few cars command that attention quite like the McLaren F1! The McLaren F1 has reached mythic status in automotive history. It is the brainchild of Gordon Murray, with design help from Peter Stevens. A car built to ignite every sense while behind the wheel. It set a production car top speed record of 240.1mph at the time and on the track, it took home the coveted win at Le Mans in dominating fashion. Each example is inherently special in its own right. However, a handful of them raise the bar even higher. This is one of them. What you see here is chassis 018. In 2000-2001, 018 was sent back to McLaren's MSO to get a substantial upgrade/refit. At this time, the High Downforce Kit (HDK) was installed, making it one of only 9 road cars to receive this upgrade. The finish was changed from Midnight Blue Pearl, to Platinum Silver Metallic. A full GT-spec interior was fitted, with the Black Leather being re-trimmed to a Cream with Beige and Brown Leather. Many other creature comforts were added as well. Though what makes this chassis even more special, is the fact it is only one of two road examples that was given the LM-Spec 680hp engine (the other example being chassis 073). The same engine was was present in the GTR race car as well, but unrestricted to produce more power. Truly phenomenal. Chassis 018 was originally delivered to a customer in Japan, but eventually found itself in the hands of New Zealander Andrew Bagnall. He owned it for over a decade, until it was sold for $19.8 million at the Sotheby's Auctions in 2019. Today, 018 would fetch much higher. A true unicorn example. #mclaren #f1 #lmspec #supercar #v12 #performance #speed #uk 🇬🇧 #Anis_Maaouia

F1 tech review: Mercedes takes design U-turn to beat Ferrari https://lnkd.in/dVpTYWBN Mercedes initially plowed on with its radical zeropod concept, but then quickly decided to overhaul the W14 to establish a performance baseline for a new design direction in 2024. This resulted in a large-scale update arriving in Monaco with further adaptations being implemented throughout the remainder of the season. Let’s take a detailed look at some of the car’s finer details in full, and how that big development programme was rolled out to overtake Ferrari for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

#GRRnews. McLaren has revealed the five pillars that will underpin its future design language, with a bit of help from sixty years of experience building some of the most wantworthy supercars to grace the planet. #goodwood #goodwoodelevenses The Goodwood Group #autos #autosport #automotive #automotiveindustry #automotiveinnovation #cars #racing #sports #classiccar #classiccars #motorracing #motorsport

The McLaren Artura Spider is a Lightweight Supercar Sans Roof The supercar convertible has always been at odds with what it positions itself in. A supercar should be lightweight and performance should be its ultimate motive. Chopping the roof off means more weight and performance are affected too, which means a supercar convertible is more of a showpiece but not for drivers. The new McLaren Artura Spider has a dry lightest weight of just 1,457kg, with kerb weight (DIN) of only 1,560kg – just 62kg more than the Artura coupe. These figures make it the lightest in its class with the chief reason being that the Spider was involved at first during the development of the coupe. Speaking of which, the Artura Spider takes only 11 seconds to drop its electrical hardtop and that means sudden downpours are not an issue at all!  Read more: https://lnkd.in/dxHc9vPP

Ferrari’s simple F1 design tweak that helped topple Red Bull https://lnkd.in/eyV8TgAv Ferrari inflicted a rare defeat on Red Bull in the Australian Grand Prix, and while this owed much to outside factors, it coincided with a new design innovation. Ferrari introduced a new but simplistic solution in Melbourne, as a winglet could be found mounted on either side of the curved exhaust surround and rear wing pillar mounting on the SF-24. It’s interesting that we haven’t seen anyone place winglets here before, given it’s clearly allowable within that box region especially as Formula 1 designers have a penchant for placing aerodynamic surfaces wherever possible, with devices like the T-wing a testament to this. Despite this being the first time we’ve seen a winglet here, it’ll now likely be something we see other teams add to their arsenal during the course of the season, with these pylon winglets expected to help repurpose some of the heat being rejected from the engine cover outlet and improve flow downstream to the beam wing (...).

3 steps you can add to your product design process to increase interest in your solution: ( and ... avoid being a 'me too' product) 1. Cross-Industry exploration 2. Identify blind spots 3. Merge concepts Lego merged two great ideas into a product that kids (and dads) had to have. Have a look at the results in the post below. Learn more about the innovation framework you can use to increase the potential of your product. Link in bio. #innovationdesign #innovation #innovationecosystem #conceptdesign #productdesign #productinnovation https://lnkd.in/dggRiDG6

I bet Ayrton Senna is on your list of top F1 drivers of all time? Check out LEGO's McLaren F1 MP4 Ayrton Senna set: The highlight is the Senna mini-figure on a podium holding the winner’s trophy with a plate displaying the photo and quote, alongside the McLaren in action mode. The LEGO model comes with functional suspensions, a steering wheel, a V6 engine, a turbo compressor (with intercooler radiators), snorkels, and exhaust blowing under the rear diffuser. What more could you ask for? Discover how unexpected collaborations yield exciting innovations that captivate customers and drive success. Follow our Bio+Mimicry™ and Xross-Industry™ Innovation Exploration series where we explore the very edges of innovation to find new solutions to old problems. XROSS-INDUSTRY™ Exploring across industries to find non-obvious clues to common product challenges, then converting them into exciting new solutions. BIO+MIMICRY™ For every problem, nature has a smart solution. Product innovation posts of real-world challenges solved by inspirational solutions found in nature. Our series offers a view into future products, with weekly posts on global breakthrough innovations. #InnovationExploration #ProductInnovation #InnovativeSolutions #Prototyping #ConceptDesign #Ideation #CrossIndustryInnovation #Formula1 #LegoMcLaren #F1Racing #AyrtonSenna