Review: 42207 Ferrari SF-24 F1 Car

Ferrari. F1. Red. 1:8 scale. Sponsored by Shell. This is basically the same set as 8674.

5 second penalty.

@Rare_White_Ape said:
"This review left out an important detail:

Which one is faster?"

That depends on who is driving it - Hamilton finished 30 seconds behind his teammate on Sunday and 36 seconds behind Verstappen.

So the Ferrari in the hands of LeClerc wasn’t far off the Red Bull of Verstappen over race distance on that day at that track in those conditions etc etc etc.

"after all, a red racing car is unmistakably a Ferrari with or without them."

Oh dear, this obsession with stickers being a bad thing reaches a new low.

I do agree that the rear tyres are an actual negative.

@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Hamilton a solid 7th, consistently behind his teammate in qualifying and the races. I’d recommend Hamilton fans hold off on purchasing this as he may not be there next season if he doesn’t improve."

The Chinese sprint race where he was pole and won seems forgotten already.

I heard that the mudguards doesn't turn with the front wheels on this one? Strange because 42206 has that function.

@JavaBrix said:
"
From Wikipedia:
'Tifosi is a group of supporters of a sports team... The term is derived from Italian "tifoso", meaning "typhus patient," referring to the "fevered" behaviour of the most dedicated fans.'"

Ngl…I had to look it up.

@daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
"Hamilton a solid 7th, consistently behind his teammate in qualifying and the races. I’d recommend Hamilton fans hold off on purchasing this as he may not be there next season if he doesn’t improve."

The Chinese sprint race where he was pole and won seems forgotten already."

No, not forgotten but easily dismissed.

If you recall he was disqualified after the Chinese GP full race due to excessive plank wear. Basically he was driving a car that was breaching the rules by running the car too low all weekend but he got away with it in the sprint race because the sprint race was too short to cause the same level of plank wear.

So the sprint pole and sprint win mean nothing in that context. Had everyone been running the car too low he would have been back in 7th or lower.

@Huw said:
" @ShinyBidoof said:
""after all, a red racing car is unmistakably a Ferrari with or without them."

Oh dear, this obsession with stickers being a bad thing reaches a new low."
Stickers are unavoidable on a model of this nature, but that doesn't mean I have to like them or enjoy applying them: doing so interrupts flow and is prone to errors that can't be corrected, unlike the rest of the building process."

Thank you summing up perfectly about stickers that which I've tried to describe so many times on here: they're often "unavoidable" because of "budgetary constraints" (add eyeroll) but they detract from the LEGOness of a building session.

@blogzilly said:
" @JavaBrix said:
"
From Wikipedia:
'Tifosi is a group of supporters of a sports team... The term is derived from Italian "tifoso", meaning "typhus patient," referring to the "fevered" behaviour of the most dedicated fans.'"

Ngl…I had to look it up."

Same here, not being much into sports of any stripe. I can't remember the last time a Brickset review had a word that I didn't already know, if, indeed, it's ever even happened before!

@Rare_White_Ape said:
"This review left out an important detail:

Which one is faster?"

You mean, who was ahead at the Apex?

I do feel for folks writing reviews this year - there are a lot of F1 cars to get through, I can't imagine it isn't repetitive after a while.

@MisterBrickster said:
"I do feel for folks writing reviews this year - there are a lot of F1 cars to get through, I can't imagine it isn't repetitive after a while. "
It's a relief that there's something to break up the Star Wars!!

Having seen some comparissons, it is actually kinda weird how different this Ferrari and the RB are....with most pointing at the RB as the better one. Mostly because of the deflectors turning with the wheels (as they should) and also the rear view mirrors which are completely absent on the Ferrari.
(luckily it's not this year's car, as Hamilton really needs those mirrors right now....)

That said, purely on looks I do prefer the Ferrari. Obviously it does help that the SF-24 was easily the best looking car on the grid last year, while the RB20 was pretty ugly with those high shoulders. It would have been interesting to see how it looked without stickers, since I do think the yellow and white accents are part of what made it look so great. And at least the HP sponsoring wasn't so ugly yet....

That said, €230 for just 1361 pieces (and 25% of those are just the 2L and 3L friction pins...) is downright attrocious. Even more so considering Lego once again cheaping out on proper tires and at least some more prints.

Oh and before someone mentions that tons of stickers on an F1 car are only logical......no it isn't. On the real cars all the sponsors are painted on, since paint is lighter that stickers and don't disrupt the airflow.

@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Vinyl wrap, not paint or stickers these days… most teams, not all.

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2023/car-launch/finishing-touches-car-build/ "

Okay, that's interesting....apparently Red Bull is still team paint. And not too long ago many teams were saving weight by keeping large parts of the car unpainted carbon, except for the sponsor names. But things keep changing, every tiny bit counts.

Also looking at it from a practical standpoint, I can imagine the McLaren-papaya needing more layers of paint than the RB-blue, maybe that also makes a difference? Though if that's the case, I'm curious what Racing Bulls is doing with their white cars.

@WizardOfOss said:
" @sjr60 said:
" @MisterBrickster said:
"I do feel for folks writing reviews this year - there are a lot of F1 cars to get through, I can't imagine it isn't repetitive after a while. "
It's a relief that there's something to break up the Star Wars!!"
I see an opportunity here.....back in 2005, Red Bull raced on Monaco with a special Star Wars livery, and with Darth Vader and a bunch of Stormtroopers as pit crew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgiFQ8TyTEg "
I'm just looking forward to May 5th when Brickset goes Star Wars free until next May....

Well I can dream!...

HP sponsored LEGO Racers F1 car?
I am glad that I already have one of those.
It's called 8461
:-)

@WizardOfOss said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
"Vinyl wrap, not paint or stickers these days… most teams, not all.

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2023/car-launch/finishing-touches-car-build/ "

Okay, that's interesting....apparently Red Bull is still team paint. And not too long ago many teams were saving weight by keeping large parts of the car unpainted carbon, except for the sponsor names. But things keep changing, every tiny bit counts.

Also looking at it from a practical standpoint, I can imagine the McLaren-papaya needing more layers of paint than the RB-blue, maybe that also makes a difference? Though if that's the case, I'm curious what Racing Bulls is doing with their white cars."

Red Bull appear to have used a vinyl wrap for the Japanese one off livery, over the normal livery:

https://racingnews365.com/iconic-white-red-bull-livery-covers-remarkable-surprise

- Stickers number 31 and 32 on the side and rear of the Sidepods should have been printed with a carbon fiber pattern.
- Finishing of the car nose is very similar to the SF90 model of 2019 season and not like last year's or even this year's model.

@gunther_schnitzel said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
"Vinyl wrap, not paint or stickers these days… most teams, not all.

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2023/car-launch/finishing-touches-car-build/ "

Okay, that's interesting....apparently Red Bull is still team paint. And not too long ago many teams were saving weight by keeping large parts of the car unpainted carbon, except for the sponsor names. But things keep changing, every tiny bit counts.

Also looking at it from a practical standpoint, I can imagine the McLaren-papaya needing more layers of paint than the RB-blue, maybe that also makes a difference? Though if that's the case, I'm curious what Racing Bulls is doing with their white cars."

Red Bull appear to have used a vinyl wrap for the Japanese one off livery, over the normal livery:

https://racingnews365.com/iconic-white-red-bull-livery-covers-remarkable-surprise"

Which was their best race of the season. So vinyl over paint made them.....faster? Kinda funny when you think about it :-)
(guess it just shows they are now well enough below the weight limit that they can do this and instead probably remove some ballast weights)

@AustinPowers said:
"HP sponsored LEGO Racers F1 car?
I am glad that I already have one of those.
It's called 8461
:-) "

Has any of the HP stickers survived? ;-)

@gunther_schnitzel said:
" @daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
"Hamilton a solid 7th, consistently behind his teammate in qualifying and the races. I’d recommend Hamilton fans hold off on purchasing this as he may not be there next season if he doesn’t improve."

The Chinese sprint race where he was pole and won seems forgotten already."

No, not forgotten but easily dismissed.

If you recall he was disqualified after the Chinese GP full race due to excessive plank wear. Basically he was driving a car that was breaching the rules by running the car too low all weekend but he got away with it in the sprint race because the sprint race was too short to cause the same level of plank wear.

So the sprint pole and sprint win mean nothing in that context. Had everyone been running the car too low he would have been back in 7th or lower."

And how is that his fault? And if that was true he would have been disqualified from the sprint race as well, because they've done that before. Both drivers must have had illegal cars because they were both disqualified and yet how were they supposed to get away with it in the sprint, when the cars are checked then too?

Points are given in sprint races, so why should it be discounted just because he was disqualified from the race, a race in which he didn't win anyway, yet that counts more than a sprint simply because of more laps.

It's not always his fault and level of blame people put on him is disgusting.

Very impressive, but i'll stick to 77242.

@daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
" @daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
"Hamilton a solid 7th, consistently behind his teammate in qualifying and the races. I’d recommend Hamilton fans hold off on purchasing this as he may not be there next season if he doesn’t improve."

The Chinese sprint race where he was pole and won seems forgotten already."

No, not forgotten but easily dismissed.

If you recall he was disqualified after the Chinese GP full race due to excessive plank wear. Basically he was driving a car that was breaching the rules by running the car too low all weekend but he got away with it in the sprint race because the sprint race was too short to cause the same level of plank wear.

So the sprint pole and sprint win mean nothing in that context. Had everyone been running the car too low he would have been back in 7th or lower."

And how is that his fault? And if that was true he would have been disqualified from the sprint race as well, because they've done that before. Both drivers must have had illegal cars because they were both disqualified and yet how were they supposed to get away with it in the sprint, when the cars are checked then too?

Points are given in sprint races, so why should it be discounted just because he was disqualified from the race, a race in which he didn't win anyway, yet that counts more than a sprint simply because of more laps.

It's not always his fault and level of blame people put on him is disgusting."

You don’t think he either requested to lower the ride height or was actively involved in the decision? He has form the this, he was caught out doing the same at Mercedes in 2023 at the Austin GP.

LeClerc’s ride height was fine, so blaming the team is a bit rich.

Basically Hamilton got an unfair advantage and was ultimately caught out. It was unfair on everyone else that he wasn’t disqualifies from the entire weekend.

It is also very telling that the only sessions over 5 race weekends where he beat LeClerc were the ones he was had a setup that was not within the regulations.

@daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
" @daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
"Hamilton a solid 7th, consistently behind his teammate in qualifying and the races. I’d recommend Hamilton fans hold off on purchasing this as he may not be there next season if he doesn’t improve."

The Chinese sprint race where he was pole and won seems forgotten already."

No, not forgotten but easily dismissed.

If you recall he was disqualified after the Chinese GP full race due to excessive plank wear. Basically he was driving a car that was breaching the rules by running the car too low all weekend but he got away with it in the sprint race because the sprint race was too short to cause the same level of plank wear.

So the sprint pole and sprint win mean nothing in that context. Had everyone been running the car too low he would have been back in 7th or lower."

And how is that his fault? And if that was true he would have been disqualified from the sprint race as well, because they've done that before. Both drivers must have had illegal cars because they were both disqualified and yet how were they supposed to get away with it in the sprint, when the cars are checked then too?

Points are given in sprint races, so why should it be discounted just because he was disqualified from the race, a race in which he didn't win anyway, yet that counts more than a sprint simply because of more laps.

It's not always his fault and level of blame people put on him is disgusting."

I agree with you. No other multi-time champion has their accomplishments discredited as much as Lewis Hamilton does.

I have a rather strong opinion on why that is - and will simply say that it's something that the should be eight time champion can do anything about, unfortunately.

@Rare_White_Ape said:
"This review left out an important detail:

Which one is faster?"

This one. Red is faster, it's a well-known fact.

@WizardOfOss said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"HP sponsored LEGO Racers F1 car?
I am glad that I already have one of those.
It's called 8461
:-) "

Has any of the HP stickers survived? ;-)"
Funnily enough, even back then I already didn't like stickers, so I never applied them.
I still have the original sticker sheet in pristine condition.

@JavaBrix said:
"
From Wikipedia:
'Tifosi is a group of supporters of a sports team... The term is derived from Italian "tifoso", meaning "typhus patient," referring to the "fevered" behaviour of the most dedicated fans.'"

This is my new favorite word, thanks!

@SithLord196 said:
" @daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
" @daniellesa said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
"Hamilton a solid 7th, consistently behind his teammate in qualifying and the races. I’d recommend Hamilton fans hold off on purchasing this as he may not be there next season if he doesn’t improve."

The Chinese sprint race where he was pole and won seems forgotten already."

No, not forgotten but easily dismissed.

If you recall he was disqualified after the Chinese GP full race due to excessive plank wear. Basically he was driving a car that was breaching the rules by running the car too low all weekend but he got away with it in the sprint race because the sprint race was too short to cause the same level of plank wear.

So the sprint pole and sprint win mean nothing in that context. Had everyone been running the car too low he would have been back in 7th or lower."

And how is that his fault? And if that was true he would have been disqualified from the sprint race as well, because they've done that before. Both drivers must have had illegal cars because they were both disqualified and yet how were they supposed to get away with it in the sprint, when the cars are checked then too?

Points are given in sprint races, so why should it be discounted just because he was disqualified from the race, a race in which he didn't win anyway, yet that counts more than a sprint simply because of more laps.

It's not always his fault and level of blame people put on him is disgusting."

I agree with you. No other multi-time champion has their accomplishments discredited as much as Lewis Hamilton does.

I have a rather strong opinion on why that is - and will simply say that it's something that the should be eight time champion can do anything about, unfortunately. "

He was only still in the championship battle because be put Verstappen in hospital in Silverstone and won the race by default. Hamilton should have been disqualified for that move. Then seeing him celebrate like he had just won the title was disgusting. Losing the title was karma foe that alone.

@WizardOfOss said:
"(guess it just shows they are now well enough below the weight limit that they can do this and instead probably remove some ballast weights)"

It's not just that they have leeway for adding weight, it's WHERE the weight is situated. Racing cars work best when the weight is all compressed down into the smallest volume possible, because this reduces the amount of work the tyres and suspension has to do in making the car change direction, speed up, and slow down. And if you reduce loads, you can go faster by still reaching those limits.

This is why the driver and fuel tank and engine/gearbox are all situated down the centre of the car as low to the ground as possible. These three things are the heaviest components, so they sit closest to the centre of gravity, and other things that don't weigh as much (like the radiators and electronics) are attached a little bit further out.

So when we look at the way the car's liveries are applied, guess where they get put?

The answer is, they get painted or wrapped on the OUTSIDE of the car, pretty much as far from the ideal centre of mass as possible! Logically, this means that the weight penalty for having additional mass out there, be it a second layer of wrap or two kg extra paint, is much more than what it would be if the extra weight was as close to the road as possible, as close to the middle of the car as possible.

I remember reading perhaps 20 years ago teams were spending a fortune on pellets of spent uranium to use for ballast. They make the cars as light as possible then add ballast to bring them up to minimum. And the best way to do it is use one of the densest materials available and put pieces of it in the floor and skid plank. It got banned pretty quickly, firstly because of the cost, and secondly because it's spent uranium fer chrissakes!

Great review, the partial builds helped to show the different construction approach compared to the Redbull. There are functions other than steering and working piston engine which have not appeared in racing cars before, like the 3 speed gear box and working suspension (with really cleverly concealed suspension parts). Together with all the new body panels they are beginning to look as good as a system build. Just wondering is the scale large enough to fit in the old Technic figure as that would be really cool.

Having the same size for all 4 tyres makes me so nervous.

@Rare_White_Ape said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"(guess it just shows they are now well enough below the weight limit that they can do this and instead probably remove some ballast weights)"

It's not just that they have leeway for adding weight, it's WHERE the weight is situated. Racing cars work best when the weight is all compressed down into the smallest volume possible, because this reduces the amount of work the tyres and suspension has to do in making the car change direction, speed up, and slow down. And if you reduce loads, you can go faster by still reaching those limits.

This is why the driver and fuel tank and engine/gearbox are all situated down the centre of the car as low to the ground as possible. These three things are the heaviest components, so they sit closest to the centre of gravity, and other things that don't weigh as much (like the radiators and electronics) are attached a little bit further out.

So when we look at the way the car's liveries are applied, guess where they get put?

The answer is, they get painted or wrapped on the OUTSIDE of the car, pretty much as far from the ideal centre of mass as possible! Logically, this means that the weight penalty for having additional mass out there, be it a second layer of wrap or two kg extra paint, is much more than what it would be if the extra weight was as close to the road as possible, as close to the middle of the car as possible.

I remember reading perhaps 20 years ago teams were spending a fortune on pellets of spent uranium to use for ballast. They make the cars as light as possible then add ballast to bring them up to minimum. And the best way to do it is use one of the densest materials available and put pieces of it in the floor and skid plank. It got banned pretty quickly, firstly because of the cost, and secondly because it's spent uranium fer chrissakes!"

Yeah, was aware of that. Thing was, under the new regulations the teams at first had problems to even get below the minimum weigth, let alone having that leeway to put it where you'd want it. And even before that, Red Bull at some point changed from gloss to matte paint just to save 600 grams.

But no one wants to watch a grid full of 20 naked carbon cars, so sometimes they will have to compromise to please the sponsors.

Are we still not over 2021?

Unfortunately it just doesn’t look enough like the (or any recent) real Ferrari to me. The sidepod geometry is, for example, fairly inaccurate and the bodywork shaping in general is a bit poor. It’s to be expected of course, LEGO is not at its best replicating complicated carbon fibre surfaces. In short I think LEGO should not have attempted this.

@ambr said:
"Great review, the partial builds helped to show the different construction approach compared to the Redbull. There are functions other than steering and working piston engine which have not appeared in racing cars before, like the 3 speed gear box and working suspension (with really cleverly concealed suspension parts). Together with all the new body panels they are beginning to look as good as a system build. Just wondering is the scale large enough to fit in the old Technic figure as that would be really cool."

If a Technic figure would fit and look good in one of these, I would never have been so tempyed to buy a Technic F1 car before.