Despite initial talk of a boycott, all 22 Formula 1 drivers eventually participated in the latest edition of the F1 LEGO car parade at Silverstone, although the experience turned out to be far from straightforward.

Among those most vocal about their displeasure were Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Both former champions criticized the LEGO event, calling it an unnecessary distraction before one of the season’s most important races.

“I’ll just get over it as quickly as possible, wave to the fans because they deserve that,” Verstappen remarked on Thursday. “But honestly, if it were up to me, I’d prefer a regular drivers’ parade. What’s wrong with that? Just an electric truck or something driving us around would be fine. It’s not exactly something I look forward to.”

This marks the second time LEGO has sponsored the drivers’ parade. Last year, at the Miami Grand Prix, each team received a full-scale, two-seater LEGO F1 car to drive around the track. However, after internal team disputes over who would take the wheel, this year’s format was adjusted so that all 22 drivers were provided with individual LEGO cars.

Joining the drivers on track were FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 President Stefano Domenicali, each piloting their own LEGO karts.

Track limits were largely ignored as drivers slid across asphalt and grass, enthusiastically waving to fans along the way.

The fun quickly turned chaotic, with nearly half the field spinning into the gravel or colliding with LEGO bricks. Carlos Sainz, in particular, suffered the misfortune of being the only driver to record a DNF in the parade.

Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz recreated an iconic Formula 1 moment from the 1991 British Grand Prix, when Williams driver Nigel Mansell famously gave McLaren’s Ayrton Senna a lift back to the pits after Senna’s car ran out of fuel. After Sainz crashed his Williams-liveried LEGO car, his former McLaren teammate Norris offered him a ride back on the side of his papaya-coloured LEGO car.

Ultimately, it was Fernando Alonso who took the top spot in the light-hearted competition, finishing ahead of Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas.