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    Watch F1 star Lando Norris drive unique McLaren P1 car round Silverstone – but can you spot why it’s so incredible?

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    LANDO NORRIS kept up his driving skills by driving a unique McLaren P1.The British driver will be hoping to close the gap to Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend.Lando Norris completed a unique stunt lap with McLarenCredit: The Mega AgencyNorris was seen driving a McLaren P1 around SilverstoneBut there was a shocking twist to the car’s makeupThe British driver was actually driving a to-scale McLaren P1 made of LEGOCredit: The Mega AgencyIn the meantime, Norris got back behind the wheel at Silverstone as he took out a McLaren P1 supercar, which can sell for around £800,000.However, the vehicle the 24-year-old drove out with had some strikingly different mechanics to a usual P1.The main difference being… it was made out of LEGO.Lego Technic recently launched a model of the McLaren P1 at a 1:8 scale as part of their sponsorship agreement with the car manufacturer.READ MORE IN F1But they have now outdone themselves after creating a to-scale version of the car.Indeed, only the electric battery, the tyres, seatbelt, steering wheel, and brakes are made of real parts, with the rest of the car being made with Lego bricks.Constructed in Czechia, the full-scale car features 342,000 Lego parts pulled from 393 different LEGO Technic elements.It weighs in at a staggering 1220kg overall – some 270kg lighter than the real-life P1 – and took 23 people 8,344 hours, or 347 days and 16 hours, of development.Most read in MotorsportCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSTasks in the process included creating fully functional steering and integrated suspension to put into the car to make it driveable, while according to Planet F1, the exterior was made with extra rigidity in mind.In a video shared to McLaren’s YouTube channel, Norris was taken aback when first saw the car, admitting: ” Oh God, I’m nervous now.”F1 Driver Salaries in 2024: How Much Do They Make? However, the two-time F1 race winner managed to complete a successful lap around the Silverstone circuit, with the battery able to take the car up to speeds of almost 40mph.Norris was pleasantly surprised by the car’s handling, saying: “It actually drives pretty good.”It felt like a car, the steering I thought was pretty good. Copse, I did it flat, the old wing mirrors flapped a little bit – I thought I should stay off the kerbs here! It’s mint.”F1 2025 gridHere are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season so far:Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio PerezFerrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis HamiltonMercedes: George Russell and Kimi AntonelliMcLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar PiastriAston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance StrollWilliams: Alex Albon and Carlos SainzSauber: Nico Hulkenberg and TBCAlpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack DoohanRB: Yuki Tsunoda and TBCHaas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁Lubor Zelinka, The LEGO Group’s Design Manager Specialist said: “It’s quite an accomplishment, I’m so proud that me and part of our team can be here – and it feels great. It’s just a beautiful sight.”We had great collaboration [with McLaren] throughout the whole thing, we had the full 3D digital package for the car, unprecedented access to their engineering team, some time on their computer actually simulating our assumptions and ideas about a drivetrain on the virtual Silverstone track.“Overall, they were a great partner, down to actually gifting us a set of wheels and tyres and other parts from the real P1 to accomplish this.”The car features 342,000 Lego partsCredit: The Mega AgencyNorris was surprisingly happy with the steeringCredit: The Mega AgencyOnly a handful of items of the car including the tyres were not made of LegoCredit: The Mega AgencyThe project took a team of 23 people more than 8,000 hours to developCredit: The Mega AgencySavage sackings in F1THE world of F1 can be savage, with employees discarded like used tea bags.Danish driver Kevin Magnussen was a rising star of the McLaren team when he made his debut in 2014 alongside Jensen Button.But when he finished the season trailing in eleventh place, he was swiftly replaced by two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.Instead of breaking the bad news to him in a face-to-face meeting, boss Ron Dennis got his assistant to send Magnussen a short and impersonal email.Worst still, the curt message landed in Kevin’s inbox on his 23rd birthday.Read more tales of F1’s brutal world including one boss who was labelled an ‘executioner’ and a driver dumped by a brisk TEXT. More

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      Lewis Hamilton WINS Belgian Grand Prix as team-mate George Russell is DISQUALIFIED hours after F1 race ends

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has won the Belgian GP in dramatic style after team-mate George Russell was disqualified hours after the race had finished.The stewards found that Russell’s car – which ran a one-stop strategy – was underweight after it was drained of fuel during the usual post-race checks.Race winner George Russell was stripped of the Belgian GP after his car was found to be underweightCredit: GettyHe was left distraught with the decisionCredit: RexHamilton was celebrating even before the result was changed after team-mate’s Russell’s ‘victory’Unfortunately George has been disqualified for his car being below the minimum required weight. Here’s Toto’s reaction. pic.twitter.com/a3qJLyrwr8— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 28, 2024

      After confirmation from the stewards, Russell’s disqualification meant team-mate Hamilton was crowned the race winner after finishing second at Spa.Hamilton – whose two pits caused him to drop in behind Russell – originally formed an impressive Mercedes one-two after the team ditched their updates on Friday.But the Silver Arrows’ one-stop strategy likely wore down the rubber on Russell’s tyres and is being citied as the main reason the car came in underweight.The W15 weighed in at 796.5kg, 1.5kg beneath the minimum weight required by the sport’s regulations.READ MORE ON F1The car had initially weighed in bang on the 798kg limit, but once the remaining fuel was drained in accordance with the rules, it fell below.The decision gives Hamilton a second victory in three races going into F1’s summer break, with Max Verstappen topping the standings.Mercedes told the stewards that “there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team”.Russell reacted to his disqualification with an Instagram post, writing: “Heartbreaking… We came in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race.Most read in MotorsportBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS”We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come.”The stewards’ ruling said: “Car 63 was weighed on the FIA inside and outside scales with both scales showing the same result of 796.5 kg. “The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.”The Stewards determine that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty for such an infringement needs to be applied.””The car was weighed again on the FIA inside and outside scales and the weight was 796.5 kg.”How the race went for RussellRussell managed to hold off the seven-time world champion on 24 laps on ONE SET of hard tyres to claim his second title of the season.He put in an extraordinary drive to run an unusual one-stop strategy in a race that featured battles throughout the leading places.The 26-year-old started three places behind Hamilton in P6.Oscar Piastri came a close third for McLaren after a late overtake on Charles Leclerc.🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁 Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff believes it could have been the one-tyre strategy that cost Russell his race win.Wolff said: “I would suspect it’s because we ran one tyre throughout for most of the race.”You have to take it on the chin. If the stewards decide against ourselves, a mistake has happened.”A one-two would have been a great result going into the summer break, it couldn’t be any better.”READ MORE SUN STORIESWhile Red Bull team boss Christian Horner claimed that Russell’s car would have lost over a kilo of rubber with the one-stop strategy.He said: “Really sad news as George but obviously a mistake in their calculations.” More

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      Watch heart-stopping moment race car is sent flying 90 degrees in the air towards fans after ‘freak’ crash

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      FANS were left terrified after a speedway car flipped into the air and hurtled towards spectators in New Zealand.The terrifying moment saw one of the cars fly 90 degrees into the air and over the safety barriers of the track.The cars collided on a speedway cornerCredit: https://nypost.com/After the car in front rolled, the green car was sent flying verticallyCredit: https://nypost.com/Such was the speed, the car went flying towards the barriersCredit: https://nypost.com/The car went flying for the barriersCredit: https://nypost.com/The car produced sparks as it flewCredit: https://nypost.com/Somehow no one was hurt as the car hit the standsCredit: https://nypost.com/Despite the car breaching the barriers, thankfully no one was hurt.The incident came on one of the speedway turns, when the front of a lime green speedway car collided with the rear bumper of a purple rival.The collision sent the purple car rolling which in turn flipped the green car.After breaching the barriers and flying into the stands, sparks could be seen flying from the green car.READ MORE IN RACINGThe horrifying crash took place in Dunedin, New Zealand.Event organiser Jason Guteridge called the “never seen before” collision a “freak accident”.Speaking to the Otago Daily Times, Guteridge said: “We haven’t had a car breach one of our fences at a speedway venue for a very very long time. Actually, the last time that it happened – I can’t actually remember.He said the height of the speedway fences had been raised to four metres ten years ago – but a review would take place into raising them again.Most read in MotorsportA second angle showed the near-miss nature of the crashCredit: https://nypost.com/Beachlads Speedway President told The New Zealand Herald: “The drivers were OK and no one from the public was hurt.”Speedway New Zealand have also confirmed they will be reviewing the incident.Horror moment driver is thrown from car like a rag doll as it barrel rolls down beach in horror crash…but he walks away More