Fernando Alonso won at Silverstone on Sunday. Not in his Aston Martin Formula 1 car, but we’ll take what we can get!
Before the actual British Grand Prix, the entire F1 grid climbed into tiny electric go-karts built to look like their real race cars, only with thousands of LEGO bricks, much less horsepower, and far greater comic potential. The result was a few glorious minutes of motorsport theatre at roughly the same speed most people drive through their own neighbourhoods.
Alonso finished ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon, which means the old guys still have it, even when it is a LEGO toy car buzzing around Silverstone at 25 km/h.
Not every driver was thrilled with the idea beforehand. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were among those who seemed less than excited about the world’s greatest racing drivers being made to look like “…children and clowns…“. But once the cars rolled out, everyone seemed to surrender to the ridiculousness.
The drivers went helmet-free, many with phones in hand, waving to the crowd while piloting miniature versions of their proper F1 machines. Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem even joined in, because apparently nobody was safe from the brick parade.
Naturally, the whole thing went viral almost immediately. Drivers cut corners, took questionable routes, and buried themselves in the gravel traps. Marshals had to rescue several of the little machines, creating the only race weekend where “track limits” were meant to be ignored.
The sweetest moment came from the reunited ‘CARLANDO‘ show. Former teammates and total BFFs Carlos Sainz ended up riding with Lando Norris, recreating that famous 1991 Silverstone moment when Nigel Mansell gave Ayrton Senna a lift back to the pits after Senna ran out of fuel. Only this time, it was less heroic F1 history and more two grown men sharing an electric go-kart.
Was it silly? Absolutely. Was it childish? Completely. Did it make Formula 1 look fun in the best possible way? Yes. And most importantly, Fernando finally got that elusive win No. 33.