What's new in the LEGO Technic McLaren MCL39?

LEGO Technic's latest Formula 1 set is the fifth F1 vehicle at this scale in the theme's recent history, and here's what's new and more familiar.

The new 42228 McLaren MCL39 has been unveiled, coming early next month, and it is based on the McLaren vehicle as seen in the 2025 season of racing. It recreates the same model of racing car driven by Lando Norris when he won his first World Drivers' Championship.

That latter point is likely to increase the 1,675-piece set's appeal upon release date, but collectors of the LEGO Technic Formula 1 cars will have an extra incentive to pair it with any of the other cars depicted at this scale. This includes one in 2022, another in 2024, and two in 2025. Almost all of these represent different teams, with McLaren returning after they debuted the collection in 2022.

Now that 42228 McLaren MCL39 has been revealed, we can see precisely what's new in the 2026 model, compared to the other four builds. 42228 McLaren MCL39 is the biggest in the collection yet, beating 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance's 1,642 elements just barely.

No new tyres

The wheels in 42228 McLaren MCL39 use the same element as the last four LEGO Technic sets. They are not wider at the back as they are on the real car, despite such an innovation in LEGO Icons' Formula 1 car sets.

"The only newness on the tyres is the white decoration," said Andreas Jensen at LEGO Fan Media Days 2025. "It's still the same tyre as we had for the last couple of years. The partner also really wanted some wider tyres, but that was not in the pipeline. We have to make millions of them, so it's not something we can do just like that."

As the fourth LEGO Technic Formula 1 car to use these tyres, we can only hope that the budget will allow for a new, wider piece in the future.

DRS is back

Another similarity compared to 42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car and 42207 Ferrari SF-24 F1 Car is that 42228 McLaren MCL39 brings the DRS (in the form of an adjustable spoiler) back for one last run. The system will not be in Formula 1 this year, but it lives on in LEGO form and still makes for a fun feature to interact with.

A more accessible engine

One of the biggest changes to LEGO Technic Formula 1 cars in the past few years is not exclusive to 42228 McLaren MCL39, also featured in 42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car and 42207 Ferrari SF-24 F1 Car. Part of the back of the build can now be completely removed to admire the V6 engine. The solid structure of the original McLaren vehicle meant that this section was static in 2022, but the latest take on the McLaren F1 car sees this feature return.

Overall, there are a multitude of differences between 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car and 42228 McLaren MCL39, but far fewer between the 2026 model and 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance, 42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car and 42207 Ferrari SF-24 F1 Car. It appears to be primarily intended as a necessary update to the original vehicle to bring the team's large-scale Technic car up to speed with the rest of the range.

LEGO Technic 42228 McLaren MCL39 will be released on March 1, priced at £199.99 in the UK, $229.99 in the US, and €229.99 in Europe. Pre-orders are open right now and qualify for a gift-with-purchase until February 24 or while stocks last.

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