LEGO’s McLaren Set Should Be a Stepping Stone to Something Bigger

While plenty of companies are vying for the top spot, it seems like LEGO has a firm grip on the toy industry. Modern offerings like the massive, incredibly detailed Lord of the Rings Rivendell set, or the abundance of smaller, but no less amusing pieces have had a huge impact on LEGO‘s popularity in recent years, which doesn’t look like it’s slowing any time soon.

It’s also been loved by gamers for decades at this point, as is clear with all the creative titles that it has come up with since LEGO Island on the PC in 1997. Recently, it has launched some Formula 1-centric sets based on the McLaren F1 team, which could be perfect catalysts for something new in the gaming space.

Lego Has Built a Reputation of Quality in Gaming

LEGO is one of the few properties that has the freedom to dabble in different genres while seemingly retaining a faithful fan base. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, for example, is realistically different to LEGO 2K Drive, which is all together different to the now-discontinued LEGO Dimensions. The property is known for its whimsical humor and fun gameplay that can keep players of all ages entertained, and so long as it maintains that level of quality, it’s free to play around with whatever games come next. The same could be said of the physical LEGO sets in recent years, which have each done well to feel unique, but in-keeping with the brand’s high standards.

The recent release of the LEGO replica of Ayrton Senna’s 1988 championship-winning McLaren MP4/4, as well as the larger set of the 2022 car from the same team shows that LEGO has at least a passing interest in Formula 1. LEGO also has sets based on classic Ferraris and the Mercedes F1 team, which further implies that they are primed for inclusion in a video game of some kind. LEGO 2K Drive shows that a racing game fits the LEGO mold wonderfully, as its driving mechanics are simply excellent.

Ultimately, Formula 1 in Gaming is Too Serious for its Own Good

Formula 1 fans have been somewhat restricted in their choice of games in recent years. Codemasters’ annual titles are great, but cater to the sim racing community where precision is key, and in being this way, the fun of F1 can be lost in the competitiveness of it all. LEGO could reintroduce a light-hearted take on the popular racing series to strike a balance with Codemasters’ F1 series, something that has been largely absent since the release of the commercially overlooked kart-racer F1 Race Stars, which was a one-and-done title which prioritized fun over all else.

F1 Could Give LEGO More Purpose in the Gaming Space

However, using the aforementioned game as a template and dressing it in Formula 1 clothing would feel like a wasted opportunity. The LEGO expansion of the Xbox exclusive Forza Horizon 4 showed that the toy-like visuals can still be graphically impressive, and injected the same jovial personality of other LEGO offerings into an otherwise serious driving game. It makes sense, then, to take that philosophy to the track by bringing the contemporary McLaren sets to the realm of gaming to create something that bridges the gap between light-hearted fun and engaging racing mechanics.

The McLaren MP4/4 LEGO set is a very specific callback to one of the sport’s truly great, and most dominant cars. Using it to launch a video game spin-off would have to result in something that pleases hardcore Formula 1 fans, new and old, and would serve to promote and display LEGO‘s dominance of the toys industry, as well as its continued competence in gaming, regardless of which genre it takes on.