F1 ACADEMY is getting a LEGO brick makeover, with a new LEGO Racing livery hitting the track in the 2026 season alongside driver Esmee Kosterman — plus a tie-in LEGO Speed Champions set, 77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car.
The LEGO Group and F1 ACADEMY have announced a new multi-year partnership that aims to inspire girls in the world of racing through creativity and representation. The partnership is debuting in the 2026 F1 ACADEMY season with LEGO Racing, piloted by Esmee Kosterman, and 77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car, a new LEGO Speed Champions set.
77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car will come with 201 pieces, one minifigure and retail for £22.99 / $27.99 / €27.99, releasing on March 1, 2026. It follows the recent announcement of 77252 APXGP Team Race Car from F1 The Movie.
This new set is based on the real-life car, matching its playful, LEGO-brick inspired look. The car’s livery was created by the LEGO Design team and aimed to represent both the LEGO Group and F1 ACADEMY through its checkered design. The car was unveiled in the pitlane of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025.
20-year-old Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman will be the premiere driver for LEGO Racing during her first full season in F1 ACADEMY. Kosterman was the first woman to win the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup series in 2023 before going on to place second in the Junior Cup and third in the overall standings. She entered F1 ACADEMY last year as the Wild Card in Round 5 of the season. And now she will take the wheel for LEGO Racing as the company hopes to inspire girls to enter the world of racing.
“To be the first driver for LEGO Racing is such an exciting opportunity, and I can’t wait to continue my racing journey with F1 ACADEMY,” she says. “I’ve long been a fan of the LEGO brand, its creativity and what it stands for and to bring it to the track from the 2026 season onwards is incredible. I hope this inspires future generations of female drivers, that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.”
A recent survey by the LEGO Group found that 87% of girls want to see more opportunities for girls in motorsport and 75% think that racing sounds exciting, while a further 52% could see themselves as a race car driver. As for parents, 82% believe it’s important for girls to see women in motorsport and 76% think that motorsport is mostly perceived as a boy’s sport.
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“F1 ACADEMY is levelling the playing field in motorsport, giving young female athletes a clear pathway to achieve their dreams in the top tiers of the sport. We can’t wait to see LEGO Racing join the F1 ACADEMY grid and are so excited to have Esmee as our driver,” adds Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group. “For the first time, fans can hold their favourite F1 ACADEMY LEGO car in their hands and I’m thrilled that we’re securing female representation in racing toys for young girls. We hope the infusion of LEGO play and creativity to this exciting sport inspires the next generation young women in motorsport, as well as the female builders of tomorrow, that anything is possible.”
The set, 77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car, will come with 201 pieces and feature the same colour scheme as the car Esmee Kosterman will drive in the 2026 season — it even has the same #32 racing number. The accompanying minifigure isn’t officially representing Esmee, but it’s close enough as to be almost certainly intentional.
“We hope every young girl who picks up these bricks sees more than just a model, she sees herself, her potential, and her place in the world of motorsport whether as a fan, engineer, driver or leader,” says Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY. “Together, we’re challenging outdated perceptions of who belongs in motorsport and empowering the next generation of young women to build their own paths.”
In addition to unveiling the car at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the LEGO Group also presented the podium finishers of Race 1 and Race 2 with custom LEGO Botanicals bouquets, each consisting of nearly 2,000 pieces and weighing about 1 kg.
77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car is available for preorder now, with full release scheduled for March 1, 2026. If you’d like to secure your copy of the set, consider doing so via our affiliate links to help support the work we do at Blocks, online and in print.
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