Tag Archives: Formula 1

The Killer Years – Historic F1 Picture Special

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Lego Lotus Ford 72D JPS

Every so often we receive a suggestion here at TLCB that makes the whole office stop what it’s doing (which today seemed to mostly be Google-imaging attractive Rio Olympics athletes) to gaze in wonder at the creation/s found. This was definitely one of those moments.

Lego Ferrari 640 Formula 1

These incredible Model Team classic Formula 1 replicas have all been built by newcomer Idihnab Szalab from Hungary, and he’s uploaded all four to MOCpages in one go. Each is an exquisitely detailed creation that perfectly captures one of the Formula 1’s most famous and iconic cars in Lego form.

Lego Williams-Honda FW11

From top to bottom Idihnab has built; the dominant 1972-75 Lotus-Ford 72D in John Player Special livery, Ferrari’s 1989 640, the double World Championship-winning 1986-87 Williams-Honda FW11, and lastly the beautiful Lotus-Ford 72C from 1970-71 in magnificent Gold Leaf livery.

Lego Lotus Ford 72C Gold Leaf

We can’t recommend paying Idihnab’s MOCpage a visit enough – click here to view all four incredible creations and to step back in time to Formula 1’s greatest era.

Spideria Ferrari

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Lego Ferrari Mecha

Formula 1 – po-faced, over regulated, and completely devoid of originality – needs a kick in the ass. TLCB debutant Gamabomb may have the answer. Or maybe not, but it’s fun to imagine! This is his ‘Ferrari SF48-0’ built for the Mecha Racing League, and it’s a wonderfully pointless thing. More like this please interwebs! Check it out on Flickr at the link above.

Lego Ferrari F1 Mecha

Hero’s Ride

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Lego March 731 F1 David Purley

This is a 1970s March 731 Formula 1 car, built by previous bloggee Greg998, and it belonged to one of the greatest racing drivers in history.

David Purley was not a particularly successful racing driver, only racing in eleven Formula 1 races and scoring no points. He did win races and championships in lower formulas during his career before he left motor-racing to become an aerobatics pilot – a sport which tragically took his life when he was aged just 40.

However, it was his actions in the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix during his short stint in Formula 1 that make him one of the sport’s greatest figures. You can see more of Greg’s superb March 731 at the link above, and you can watch David Purley’s incredible bravery during one of Formula 1’s darkest and most shameful moments by clicking here (viewer caution advised).

Race Horse

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Lego Ferrari SF16-H F1 Car

What the hell is going on with Formula 1 right now? Oh yes, we remember; corrupt and greedy management are taking the sport apart bit by bit and then wondering why viewing figures are falling. At least Ferrari are finally back at the pointy end of the grid this year to bring some competition to Mercedes-Benz.

Lego Ferrari Formula 1 Car

This stunning recreation of Ferrari’s SF16-H 2016 title challenger comes from previous bloggee Noah_L, and the brilliance of the build is matched only by the beauty of the photography. There’s lots more to see at Noah’s photostream – click the link above to take a closer look, and if you’re wondering how to take images as good as Noah’s you can check out our guide to photographing Lego by clicking here.

Ferrari F1 Car 2016 Lego

Model Team Maserati

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Lego Maserati 250F Tipo

We’re starting to think that Formula 1 is becoming a bit, well… boring. You can thank Bernie Ecclestone’s enormous rulebook for the current state of affairs, but back in the ’50s the racing was gloriously exciting, due in most part to the fact that the rulebook could probably fit in a small pamphlet.

This exquisite 1957 Maserati 250F Tipo takes us back to a time when things actually happened on an F1 racetrack, when the Argentinian legend Juan Manuel Fangio overcame a 51 second deficit to win the German Grand Prix (and then the championship). Noah_L (aka Lego Builders) is the builder and there’s more to see of his beautifully photographed creation on both MOCpages and Flickr.

Ice Man

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Lego Ferrari F1 F2007

Kimi Raikkonen is one of the sport’s more… er, unusual characters, but there’s no doubting his racing talent. Back when Ferrari were the team to beat he took the F2007 to the World Championship, earning his sole title. Nathaniel L has rebuilt Kimi’s winning Ferrari and published it to Flickr with stunning photography. See all the beautiful photos via the link above.

Lego Ferrari Formula 1

Drag Racing

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Lego Technic F1 Ferrari

Formula 1 might be constrained by four million regulations but it does still occasionally provide good racing. The surprise of the 2015 season has been Ferrari, who after a woeful 2014 seem to have mostly sorted their latest car. Don’t underestimate the role Vettel played in fixing the prancing horse though – as his previous team Red Bull seem to be going backwards (and doing so very ungracefully too). Coincidence?

Anyway, one of the more ridiculous of the four million regulations in Formula 1 these days is the DRS (Drag Reduction System). It’s a neat engineering solution that should be able to be used whenever the driver feels like it, not just when Bernie Ecclestone’s computer deems it to be OK.

TLCB regular Sariel has created a Ferrari-ish Formula 1 car that uses this feature the way we would like – his working DRS on the rear wing is deployed automatically in top gear. His fully RC model also features pushrod suspension, return-to-centre steering and a range of other Technic functions. You can see them all on MOCpages, plus a video of the car and its DRS in action.

Lego Ferrari Formula 1

The Power of Dreams

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Lego Technic Honda RA300 Formula 1 Grand Prix Car

The 2015 Formula 1 Championship kicked off in Australia last week, and with a long-absent name back on the grid. Or should we say back of the grid? Honda’s F1 return with McLaren has not been an easy one, and due to ever more ridiculous FIA rules restricting development, innovation, and fun, the once mighty engine supplier will probably be at the back for some time yet. But we like Honda here at TLCB, so we’re going to take a trip back to when they were allowed to do what they do best – innovate.

1967 Honda RA300 Formula 1 Lego Technic

This gorgeous 1967 Honda RA300 is the work of previous bloggee Nico71, and not only does his Technic recreation of one of Honda’s finest moments look completely beautiful, it works too. There’s Power Functions controlled steering and drive, functioning suspension, and of course, a replica of Honda’s masterpiece V12 engine which powered the car to victory in its first ever race.

There’s lots more to see of Nico’s RA300 Formula 1 car on the image sharing platform Brickshelf – click here to make the jump.

Lego Honda RA300 V12 Formula 1 Grand Prix Racer

 

And It’s Go Go Go!

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Lego Ferrari 2015 Formula 1

The 2015 Formula 1 championship kicks off in Melbourne Australia today! Will anyone challenge Mercedes? Will Maldonado get around Turn 1 without crashing into anyone? Will McLaren even finish? There’s only a few hours to go before we find out!

Oh, this lovely Ferrari SF15-T is the work of Nathanael L (aka Lego Builders) of MOCpages and Flickr. It’s gotta be better than last year’s car right?

Lego Ferrari SF15-T F1 Car

Quick March

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Lego March 751 Formula 1

Suggested to us via the feedback page by a reader (and previous bloggee) is Luca Rosconi‘s beautiful 1975 March 751 Formula 1 car, which won the Austrian Grand Prix in torrential rain that year. March were one of the most prolific racing car manufacturers of all time, building cars for dozens of race teams across a variety of racing formulas. Customer cars are now outlawed in Formula 1 so sadly you can’t just buy a car and enter a race. We think this is a bit of shame here at TLCB, so we’ll be imagining what it was like back in the ’70s via Luca’s Flickr page. Click the link above to join us.

2015 LEGO Speed Champions Set Preview

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Lego 75909 McLaren P1 2015

LEGO’s small and always fun Racers sets are being refreshed for 2015! LEGO has announced the new ‘Speed Champions’ range, which is made up of partially refreshed old Racers sets (specifically the race-Ferraris and Iveco Transporter), and some new (and rather nice) hypercars.

One of these new sets is shown in the picture above – the awesome McLaren P1 – which joins the other two members of the latest real-world hypercar trio: the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. The P1 shown comes equipped with cones, a pleased-looking mini-figure driver and a few other useful tools, whilst the other sets also include a variety of additional parts.

We think the single car sets (Porsche 918, LaFerrari, P1, and a Ferrari 458 GT3) will please collectors although they do seem to show evidence of LEGO’s default method of creating the complicated shapes required via large specifically moulded new parts and stickers. Nevertheless, all of the new cars do look fun and some of those unique pieces might be usable for other ends (the surfboard piece in use as the McLaren’s rear spoiler is a nice touch!).

Overall we think the new Speed Champions cars will make good starter sets for beginners, and they’re relatively inexpensive at around €15 each. Definitely worth looking out for when they reach stores in early 2015.

Lego 75913 Ferrari Team Truck 2015

This is the set that the Elves are more interested in though. Remember set 8654? LEGO’s F1 team truck was well received by builders and LEGO have given it a refresh it for 2015 creating the new set 75913.

Included in the revised set are toolboxes with tools, lots of Ferrari-attired mini-figures, a brick separator(?), a Vespa(!) and of course the latest Ferrari F14, complete with a spare nosecone. The F14 seems a fairly accurate mini-figure scale version of Ferrari’s real racer, featuring a couple of new pieces and stickers to create the flowing shape.

As for the truck, LEGO seem to have reused the same Iveco cabin and trailer from last year’s set, and all of the assorted racing paraphernalia can fit inside as before. 75913 will cost you around €100, which is quite expensive for a mini-figure scale set, but there is a lot included for your money.

Lego 75910 Porsche 918 2015

Joining 75913 in the new Speed Champions range for 2015 are a Mercedes McLaren pitbox with F1 car (€35), two Porsche GT3 Racers in one package (€50) and the other aforementioned supercars including the 75910 Porsche 918 Hybrid pictured above. The complete Speed Champions range will reach stores in early 2015. Start saving!

Sources: The Brick Blogger and Brickshop.nl

Seventies’ Speed

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Lego Brabham BT44B Formula 1

This particular TLCB writer wasn’t alive in the 1970s, however from what he’s seen of the era on TV everything seemed to be square and of a nasty beige-y brown hue. Everything that is, apart from Formula 1.

Carl Greatrix makes his third appearance of the month here at TLCB with his final incredible 1970s’ Formula 1 racer; the brilliant 1975 Brabham BT44B. Designed by Gordon Murray (who would later go on to design the McLaren F1 road car) and powered by the legendary Ford-Cosworth DVF engine, the BT44 won 5 races taking third in the manufacturer’s championship in 1975.

Brabham also secured sponsorship from perhaps the greatest racing liveried company of all time. There was no beige or brown in Martini’s paintbox, and it’s a scheme that still looks superb 40 years on – as proven by the wonderful current Williams Formula 1 car.

To see more of Carl’s beautiful Brabham, and the two classic racing cars that preceded it, take a trip back in time via his photostream here – we’ll see you there!

Lego Classic Formula 1 cars

Flat Twelve

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Lego Ferrari 312T4 1979 Formula 1

Carl Greatrix makes his second appearance in as many days here at TLCB with another unbelievable classic Formula 1 car. This time the prancing horse is Carl’s subject matter, and he’s recreated their gorgeous 1979 312T4 beautifully.

Underneath the perfect bodywork lives a chassis of jaw-dropping detail, including the famous flat 12 Ferrari engine, the last before Scuderia Ferrari finally got with the times and built a turbocharged unit to challenge Renault.

Lego Ferrari F1 chassis

Although the 312 was still a race winner in its ‘T4’ configuration in 1979, by the following year its outdated flat 12 engine relegated it to very un-Ferrari like positions. An entirely new car was conceived for 1981 which had half the cylinders, but it also had a turbo… and by 1982 Ferrari were the Formula 1 constructors champions again.

Lego 1979 Ferrari and Renault Formula 1

Carl’s Ferrari 312T4 is pictured here alongside his previously featured Renault RE20, and it’s one of our favourite photos of 2014. It also makes us wish that modern Formula 1 allowed some innovation and a variety of engineering approaches, as was the case until the modern era. We think it’d be much more exciting to watch cars as different as these two racing against one another. If only TLCB ran Formula 1…

To see more of this historic Ferrari – and Carl’s other incredible creations – take a trip to Flickr by clicking here.

Turbo!

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Lego Renault RE20 Turbo Formula 1

Formula 1 might finally have got with the times and moved to turbo-charged engines, but it’s not actually the first time forced-induction has been used in Formula 1 racing.

Turbo-charging first appeared in F1 as early as the 1970s (and forced induction in the form of super-charging featured in Grand Prix racing earlier even than Word War 2 – think about that when you next brag about your turbo!). This particular car was one of the best of that first Turbo Era; the astonishing Renault RE20.

Built by Carl Greatrix, this Model Team recreation of the late ’70s Renault is one of the most beautifully engineered Lego creations we’ve seen this year, and not just on the outside. Underneath the perfectly replicated bodywork sits one of the finest chassis and engines ever constructed from the humble brick. The extra photo below gives you an idea, but you really need to head over to Flickr to see just how good this creation is. You can visit Carl’s photostream here – it’s worth the click!

Lego Renault Turbo 1979 Formula 1

The Rain Man

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Lego Ayrton Senna McLaren

This summer marks twenty years since the passing of one of sport’s greatest men, the legendary Ayrton Senna.

Born to wealthy Brazilian landowners in 1960, Senna started racing go-karts in his native Brazil, before moving on to Formula 3 in the UK and then rising to become one of the greatest talents that the sporting world has ever seen, winning three Formula 1 World Championships in ’88, ’90 and ’91.

This McLaren-Honda MP4/6 was the car in which Senna won his last World Championship, after which he departed McLaren at the end of the 1993 season to drive for Williams.

Senna was tragically killed the next year, when his Williams FW16 left the track at Imola’s Tamburello corner, hitting the concrete wall at 145mph. Brazil lost its hero, and Formula 1 lost probably its greatest ever talent.

Senna’s McLaren MP4/6 pictured here is the work of the brilliant Nathanael L, and was suggested to us via the Feedback Page by a reader. Nathanael’s work has featured here numerous times, and you can see more of his McLaren as well as all of his other wonderful vehicles through his Flickr photostream at the link above.

Twenty years on from that awful weekend in 1994, in which Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger also perished, Ayrton Senna’s legacy continues. Following the implementation of significant safety changes after the events at Imola, no driver has since died in a Formula 1 car, making Senna the last driver fatality in the sport.

It’s also been discovered that Senna secretly donated $millions to the children living in poverty in his native Brazil. He never told anyone, because that’s the kind of man he was.