6 July 2026 17:00 (UTC)
LEGO go-karts, an all-British fan stage appearance, and upgrades on the way: Behind the scenes at Silverstone
Allow us to take you behind the scenes of the British Grand Prix and deep into the paddock, with our regular post-race wrap-up. Covering all the action you might have missed, we'll explore everything from the outfits that caught our attention to the strongest snaps and the standout quotes.
The footage of Lando looking stunned as he looks out at the fluoro-filled Landstand does a pretty great job of summarising how we felt across the weekend. Every year at our home race, we’re left astounded by the swell of support we see in every section of the Silverstone Circuit - from the grandstands to the Fan Zone, the paddock, and the track after the race, when fans are allowed in to walk its famous tarmac.
As ever, we enjoyed a busy few days in Northamptonshire, which began with the unveiling of our limited-edition livery in honour of our first Formula 1 car, the M2B, and continued through the weekend with British-themed fan questions, a LEGO go-kart race, and a whole host of familiar faces.
It was hard to narrow it down, but here were some of our favourite moments from across the weekend.
Asking you the big questions. These are the topics that truly mattered this weekend.
In the first match-up, we pitted the custard cream against the bourbon. Lando and Oscar both voted for the bourbon, but the Papaya Family were much more divided on which was better. Custard creams narrowly won, which we would hail as the right outcome, but you were pretty evenly split.
In the second game, Lando and Oscar both opted for a full English over a roast dinner, which surprised us. At one stage in the fan vote, it seemed as if the roast was going to win by a landslide as it lunged into the lead off the line, but the final result was much closer, with the full English almost catching up and finishing a close second.
Finally, we asked the classic British question: How do you take your tea?
And yes, we know we posed these as opinion-based votes, but there is a correct answer for each: custard cream, roast dinner, and E3. And no, we won’t be taking any questions.
Just a few weeks ago, we had our first all-British podium in 58 years. This week, following a little bit of collaborative work between teams, we treated the home crowd to an all-British Fan Zone, bringing together Lando, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Ollie Bearman, and Arvid Lindblad.
Throughout the crowd, there were fans of each individual driver and plenty of banter. But what’s beautiful about the F1 fanbase is the friendly rivalry and respect you have for everyone on the grid, and you put your allegiances aside to show your love for all five of them.
We enjoyed so many moments with you over the weekend, but the sentimental Briton in us means it is tough to beat seeing these five on the fan stage together. And we couldn’t help but think the five of them would make a great boyband. The Back-Straight Boys? F1 Direction?
This was chaos, and we loved every second of it. After the madness of the Drivers’ Parade in Miami just over a year ago, we knew we were in for a treat when it was announced that drivers would be getting behind the wheel of their own LEGO go-kart on Sunday, and we weren’t disappointed.
Lando got bumped before he’d even set off, and then ended the lap with Carlos Sainz hitching a lift on his kart - reminiscent of when Ayrton Senna rode back on the side of Nigel Mansell’s Williams here in 1991. Everything in between was just as frenzied, with Lando among a group that took a shortcut and temporarily beached themselves on the gravel.
All the while, Oscar was serenely riding up front, without a care in the world. At one point, he even had the track entirely to himself, during the period when those behind him took a shortcut.
It wouldn’t be a home Grand Prix without a British-themed collection. We’ve interpreted this in a number of ways over the years, from reds, whites, and blues, to tie-dyes and neon.
This year, we opted for a classic black-and-white look, featuring the Union Jack alongside imagery of the MCL40 and Lando. With the McLaren Mastercard logo sitting nicely on the middle of the front, it means you can layer the pieces perfect under a jacket or overshirt - though the heat on Saturday in the UK meant it was way too warm for that!
Despite the sunny weather, Lando was sporting the black hoodie when he arrived on Friday to greet the fans, and it looked every bit as good as we expected.
Two British McLaren drivers won trophies this weekend at Silverstone. Ella Lloyd claimed a brilliant third-place finish in the F1 Academy Reverse Grid Race, putting in a strong performance to hold onto her starting position. Later that same day in F1, Lando leapt forward three places in the Sprint race to secure a top-three finish of his own, winning out in an entertaining battle with fellow Briton George Russell.
"We have some major upgrades planned for Hungary, and until then, the entire team trackside and at the factory must continue to work hard and maximise every opportunity.”
Further upgrades are on the horizon ahead of the summer break, giving the Papaya Family plenty of reason for optimism after another up-and-down weekend on track where we showed some promise. Scoring 20 points across the weekend - including a podium for Lando in the Sprint and two places gained in the Grand Prix - there were positives to take. Our home hero was able to make up positions on a circuit that pushes the car’s performance to the absolute limit.
After getting caught up in opening-lap contact that required a new front wing, Oscar also did well to recover to 11th, even if he narrowly missed out on the points.
We have a weekend off from racing, but we'll still be busy as we get ready to head to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it has already been confirmed that Lando will make an appearance to celebrate his 2025 Formula 1 World Championship. We then have one final European double-header to tackle before the summer break, with the Belgian and Hungarian Grands Prix taking place on the 17-19 and 24-26 July, respectively.
