Comparing LEGO Speed Champions F1 ACADEMY car to 2025's original 10

LEGO Speed Champions 77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car breaks new ground, but how does it differ side-by-side with its predecessors?

77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car isn't just the first Academy car that has been represented in LEGO bricks, it's also a recreation of the first LEGO race car to ever take part in motorsports. Heading onto the F1 Academy grid with Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman at the wheel, this marks a unique new chapter for the LEGO Group.

In terms of the LEGO Speed Champions set, however, this is tried and tested ground for the LEGO designers. That doesn't mean, however, that it doesn't dip its toes into anything new.

Naturally, the livery helps it to stand out from the 10 modern Formula 1 Speed Champions set that debuted in March of this year. It combines the pink and blue of the Academy colours with the LEGO Group's classic yellow, although with only 'LEGO' as a banded sponsor. While Academy cars do have less than Formula 1 cars in real life, that delivers a much cleaner branding look than the other LEGO Speed Champions Formula 1 sets.

The F1 Academy cars are smaller than F1 cars, which is reflected in the Speed Champions sets as well. The March wave of 10 builds are all around 20cm long, while 77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car comes in at 18cm. That 2cm is fairly representative of the real-world difference at this scale, while also making the Academy car appear less low-slung.

Instead of the curved spoilers of the original wave of 10, 77258 F1 ACADEMY LEGO Race Car has what appears to be a brick-built spoiler, mimicking the square rear end of the actual Academy cars.

A birds-eye view also shows that there are some key differences in how the base of the car is constructed, with more connectors to the wheels and a more square floor. While some of the LEGO Speed Champions Formula 1 cars differ between the range, the general shape is more rounded than 77258's.

That's not to say there aren't any similarities, however. It looks like the same basic technique has been used for the halo, as well as for the spoon-based wing mirrors. The air pod looks generally the same, although the front end of the car carries through that square shape, bringing a wider nose than the majority of the other LEGO Speed Champions sets from this year.