The LEGO Group and F1 ACADEMY have formed a multi-year partnership to inspire young motorsport fans—particularly girls—by combining creative play with real-world representation. From 2026 LEGO Racing will compete on the F1 ACADEMY grid with 20-year-old Esmee Kosterman as its lead driver, and the first collaborative LEGO set is now available for pre-order.
Kosterman, a former karter, won a race in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup in 2023—becoming the first woman to do so—then finished second in the Junior Cup and third overall. She moved into single-seaters in 2024 with Indian F4 and made her F1 ACADEMY debut as a wild-card at Round 5 in Zandvoort, her home race. The 2026 season will be her first full campaign in the series.
LEGO Racing’s car will wear a bespoke livery created by the LEGO Design team that blends both brands’ colours and patterns, adds playful LEGO motifs and introduces a distinctive checkered element that reflects the brand’s brick-building spirit in a high-performance setting. The livery, the driver announcement and the first product from the collaboration were unveiled during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend by F1 ACADEMY Managing Director Susie Wolff, Julia Goldin (Chief Product and Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group), designers Beatrice Amoretti and Maria Jędryszek, and hosted by Ariana Bravo.
The partnership responds to changing audience demographics in motorsport: women now make up about 42% of Formula 1’s fanbase. Research by the LEGO Group found strong appetite among girls for more motorsport opportunities—87% want greater access, 75% find racing exciting and 52% could imagine themselves as an F1 ACADEMY or race car driver. Parents also see representation as important, with 82% saying girls should see women in motorsport roles even though 76% feel the sport is often perceived as more for boys. The collaboration aims to shift perceptions and encourage girls to explore roles across the sport, from driving and engineering to leadership.
Wolff described the tie-up as more than a model car, saying it helps build belief in what’s possible by giving girls a tangible route into motorsport. Goldin said the partnership will reinforce female representation in racing toys and help level the playing field for young athletes. Kosterman called the role an exciting honour, expressing pride in representing a brand she admires and hoping the initiative motivates future female drivers.
The first product, the LEGO Speed Champions F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car, is a 201-piece set that mirrors the partnership livery and carries Kosterman’s race number, 32. The set includes detailed aerodynamic elements and a minifigure in LEGO Racing colours, and is designed to bring the energy of F1 ACADEMY into homes. It is available for pre-order from LEGO.com and select retailers and will be in LEGO Stores worldwide from March 1, 2026.
As part of the inaugural F1 ACADEMY weekend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the LEGO Group will also present custom LEGO Botanicals bouquets to the podium finishers of both Race 1 and Race 2. Each bouquet is built from nearly 2,000 LEGO elements, weighs close to 1 kg and celebrates the creativity and opportunity the partnership seeks to provide.