Dr. Helmut Marko predicted that Red Bull would win 3 races in 2019 in their first year partnership with Honda, and that is exactly what they achieved, though he would argue they could have won more. Max won brilliantly in Austria, and then in a rain soaked chaotic race in Germany, and a brilliant head-to-head victory against Hamilton in Brazil, somewhat payback for losing out on victory in Hungary where Hamilton passed him on fresher tyres near the end of the race. Verstappen had a few off races, colliding with Raikkonen twice in Belgium. In Italy he started from the back and knocked his front wing, and eventually finished 8th, and he was punted off in Japan by Leclerc. Verstappen truly established himself as a credible title challenger if his car was competitive throughout the year, something they hope will be the case in 2020.
New team-mate Albon drove the second half of the year, and had a slightly easier task of a more developed RB15 than Gasly had. He seemed to do a lot of come-back drives, showing potential and good overtaking. It remains to be seen if he can get closer to Max in 2020, but he was unlucky to be punted off a podium finish in Brazil by a rare mistake from Hamilton.
Minichamps released their version of the early season car with Max and Pierre in respectively.
Minichamps 410190033
Personally, I think the matte paintwork on the Minichamps model is spot on, I don't think the Spark model is quite as good. The only other bigger difference between this and the Spark model is the size of the airbox above the driver's head, the Minichamps one being much larger and for me more accurate.
Minichamps 410190010
A great effort from Minichamps in my opinion, these newer models are fantastic. Score: 8/10
Verstappen Collection Models
Whilst Spark have been releasing a number of special versions, the Max Verstappen shop have released two versions already, one based on the Australian GP, which is the same as the standard model, albeit with different tyres, and they have done a pre-season shakedown livery which sold out almost instantly.
Minichamps 4131999333 Max Verstappen Collection No. 40
Minichamps 413190133 Max Verstappen Collection No. 42
Minichamps 413190933 Max Verstappen Collection No. 44
Minichamps 413191133 Max Verstappen Collection No.45
Charles Leclerc won his first Grand Prix at the Belgian Grand Prix, and although the F1 Youtube channel has already done a list, we have a good selection of 1/43 models commemorating these first victories.
Kimi Raikkonen came into F1 with Sauber with very little car racing experience, but he soon impressed enough to replace Hakkinen in McLaren for 2002 earning a couple of podium finishes. It wasn't until the send race of 2003 in Malaysia would Kimi earn his first victory having started in seventh place. Though this would be his only victory that year, he would earn 7 second place finishes and challenge Schumacher for the championship, finishing just 2 points behind the German's Ferrari.
I can't remember exactly, but I think this was the first Minichamps models with a standing driver figure in the cockpit and the steering wheel on top of the cockpit. For me, this was an elegant looking car, and the livery just suited it so well.
It's somewhat unheard of today to have a rookie debut in a Championship contending car. In reality, the spotlight was meant to be on double-world champion Alonso leading the team, giving Hamilton time to find his feet, and after comfortably shadowing his team-mate for the first few races, Hamilton began to beat this more experienced team-mate, winning impressively from pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix.
There's nothing particularly special about the model that htey produced, though it does have a low downforce rear wing set up which is nice, but there's no fist raised or anything.
In the aforementioned Canadian Grand Prix, Robert Kubica had a humongous crash, running onto the marbles, before being pitched into the air, smashing the barriers, his car being broken into hundreds of pieces and the monocoque barrel rolling several times. Everyone held their breath as an eerie silence fell around the circuit. Thankfully the Pole was OK, though he missed a race, and 2008 was Kubica's most competitive season to this day. There was a bit of chaos at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, a red light at the end of the pitlane catching out Hamilton and Rosberg, with Raikkonen the victim as these race-winning hopefuls retired. Kubica won the race and propelled himself into Championship contention, but the BMW team refused to develop the car in the second half of the year and his chances faded.
Again, we get quite a bog standard model to commemorate the victory, but we get a Canadian GP spec shape, most notably without those nose horns they ran for the majority of the year. 2008 was getting a bit out of hand with aero devices and BMW and McLaren were amongst the worst for adding flips and vanes and horns all over the car, but Minichamps have done a good job in representing all these intricate parts before the trend of resin models.
Vettel had already impressed in a BMW in the 2007 USA Grand Prix before finishing the season at Toro Rosso, but 2008 was his first full season. Back when Red Bull and Toro Rosso's essentially raced the same cars, the only difference being the power units, the Renault in the Red Bull and the Ferrari in the Toro Rosso. The Ferrari was the more competitive engine that year and it wasn't uncommon for Vettel to beat the senior team at a few races. At a damp Italian Grand Prix, Vettel sensationally took pole position on merit. Nobody really expected him to finish there in the race, but he did, and Vettel claimed Toro Rosso's only win to date. A promotion to the senior team followed in 2009.
The Minichamps model comes with wet tyres, it's got nice wheel rims and the decals look fantastic. This was one of my first models that I bought when I started my collection in earnest around 2009, and it was also around my most active time in GP4 too.
When Webber retired at the end of 2013, it was a bit of a surprise that Ricciardo was named as his replacement, but as it turned out, Ricciardo had the beating of four-time World Champion Vettel in the sister Red Bull, in an impressive break-out year. Ricciardo never seems to win straight forward races, but with both Mercedes struggling with brake temperatures, Ricciardo overtook Perez and then Rosberg to earn his first victory.
I did own the Spark alternative to this, but I preferred the Minichamps model overall, though the models were quite similar and had their own pros. For me, the paint finish and decal quality won me over to the Minichamps version. Again it would have been nice to have a fist raised or something to make this model stand out a bit more, but as a model, I have no real complaints.
Max Verstappen had already impressed people with his speed and maturity and Red Bull made a bold move in moving him into the Red Bull seat after just four races completed. At the next race in Spain, the two Mercedes collided and it was seemed as though Vettel and Ricciardo were left to battle for victory as Verstappen and Raikkonen battled a little behind them. But as it turned out, Verstappen and Raikkonen were on the better strategy and Max withheld pressure from Raikkonen all race to earn his first victory on his debut run in the Red Bull.
My problem was that there were so many Minichamps versions of this model. At the time, Verstappen models were trading at high prices, but if you produce too much, it really reduces the value of each model long term. Anyway, this model is how the car crossed the finish line, fist raisd, missing camera and white-walled tyres.
After the shocking retirement of Nico Rosberg, Mercedes quickly moved for Valterri Bottas to fill the second Mercedes seat. In just his fourth race for the team, he took victory at the Russian Grand Prix, withstanding pressure from Vettel.
I suppose in fitting with Bottas' non-flashy character, this model doesn't have a special cardboard overlay, nor any pictures of the Russian GP, it's just simple and understated. The only hint that this is a special model is on the description, 1st Win, Russian GP 2017.
Max Verstappen, son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, burst into Formula 1 after only 2 seasons of car racing, becoming the youngest driver to do so at the age of 17, and thanks to changes to the rules, he will retain this and 8 other "youngest driver to" until the rules change.
Having spent a season and a bit in the Toro Rosso school of F1, he was quickly promoted to the front running Red Bull team in 2016, where he promptly won his first Grand Prix. More success followed in 2017 and 2018, and as the new car launches today, there is a good chance that Max will be challenging for the World Championship in 2019, should Honda make enough progress as they have been doing in the past year.
The Max Verstappen shop exclusively sells small runs of Minichamps car under the Max Verstappen Collection (MVC), and they are not limited to 1/43 scale models, but also include 1/18 scale and helmets. You have to be pretty quick off the mark for some of these cars, as some of them can quickly sell for double the price in the second hand market, whilst others are less popular. I have not owned them all, but I have owned a few and I wanted to share some of them with you in this post as we look ahead to the 2019 season. There are other versions of his cars available from Minichamps and Spark but I will save them for another time.
2014 Toro Rosso STR9 - Japanese GP Practice. MVC 19
Minichamps 447140138
Chronologically, this is the first Formula 1 car that Max drove on an official Grand Prix, driving in practice at Suzuka in Japan. It was remarked at that weekend just how mature he was for his age, and that they hype surrounding him was real. 2014 was the season he battled Esteban Ocon for the European Formula 3 title, but came third despite some great drives and great moments. He had considered an offer to be a part of the Mercedes young driver programme, but opted for the Red Bull route, and almost as soon as this was confirmed, had Toro Rosso announced that he would be their driver for 2015. Score: 8/10
2015 Toro Rosso STR10 - Malaysian GP. MVC 02
Minichamps 447150133
The first in the Max Verstappen Collection was his debut in the Toro Rosso at the Australian Grand Prix, which I haven't owned. He was running in the points before an engine failure caused him to retire. The second in the collection, pictured here, is of the next race in Malaysia where Max scored his first points.
There was a nice version from the Hungarian GP that year, but that was not part of this collection. Score: 8/10
2016 Red Bull RB7 - Demonstration run. MVC 06
Minichamps 443169933
After an impressive debut season, Max was invited to drive in a Red Bull RB7 at a snow demonstration run at Kitzbuhel. It was the first time we'd see Max in Red Bull colours, though few predicted it would come so soon. This model is available in normal Minichamps boxes, but I love the work they did on the wheels with the steel chains. Score: 8/10
2016 Toro Rosso STR11 - Russian GP. MVC 04
Minichamps 417160133
Max's second season with the Toro Rosso team only lasted for four races, and this model is of his final race for the team, though he ultimately retired from the race. James Key led some lovely designed chassis, often held back by the power unit and lack of funds for development, but I was always a big fan of his Toro Rosso cars, and it will remain to be seen if he can fulfil his potential in McLaren for the 2020 season. But enough about James Key, Kvyat had an awful start in the Red Bull team and Max was promoted to the lead team for the Spanish Grand Prix. Score: 8/10
2016 Red Bull RB12 - Spanish GP. MVC 05
Minichamps 447160333
Starting from sixth on the grid, the leading Mercedes famously crashed into each other on the first lap. Max then ran behind his teammate in second place in the early stages. But with Daniel Ricciardo covering Sebastian Vettel on a three stop strategy, Max and Kimi Raikkonen were on the more favourable 2 stop strategy, and Max drove maturely ahead of the faster Ferrari to claim his first win in his debut race for Red Bull. This was how Max crossed the line, with fist in the air, on medium tyres, and a missing camera on the nose - nice detail from Minichamps. I also like Minichamps attempt at the matte paint scheme which looks lovely in certain lights. Score: 8/10
They actually released a second version from the Spanish Grand Prix as MVC 10, facing the other way and with a pitboard. A flurry of other 2016 cars appeared, I don't have these ones:
MVC 13 - Japanese GP - 2nd place
MVC 23 - Italian GP Practice - with halo
MVC 27 - Malaysian GP Practice - with aero rakes
The German GP, another podium finish, was released in a regular Minichamps box, which I owned, but it was not part of this collection.
... but I do have these:
2016 Red Bull RB12 - Austrian GP. MVC 11
Minichamps 447160633
Max finished at Red Bull's home circuit in Austria in 2nd place, with him wearing a lederhosen version of his overalls. I actually received this with a damaged case so I returned it, but it was sold out and not replaced. Score: 8/10
2016 Red Bull RB12 - British GP. MVC 12
Minichamps 447160733
Max finished the next race also in second, with an impressive drive in changeable conditions which included an amazing overtake on eventual World Champion Nico Rosberg around the outside of the fast Chapel corner. This model comes with intermediate tyres, always a welcome addition. Score: 8/10
2016 Red Bull RB12 - Brazilian GP. MVC 14
Minichamps 447161233
Another podium finish and another version of the RB12. For me, this was a stand out performance in the wet. Personally, Hamilton was the 'Driver of the Day', but Max completed several outstanding overtakes, survived a spin whilst many others ended up in the wall, and showed incredible quick pace in treacherous conditions. The recent greats had incredible wet-weather performances, Senna at Donington 1993, Schumacher in Spain 1996, Hamilton at Silverstone in 2008 and you can add Verstappen Brazil 2016 to that list. Minichamps have done a good job in making the race to race changes, not just to decals, but shape too, like the gills by the side of the cockpit and the rear wing endplate. I'm surprised that this model is not yet sold out on their store, but with so many RB12's to collect, and a slightly higher volume run of 2,000 models, it doesn't help it's long-term value. Score: 8/10
2017 Red Bull RB13 - Australian GP. MVC 25
Minichamps 413170133
Perhaps learning from the previous year, the production runs for the 2017 RB13 were much lower quantities, and so the second hand market prices started to pick up again. There was nothing really of note at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. This was the early season shape with the new regulations, with Adrian Newey opting for simple clean aerodynamics to make up for the lack of Renault power. Score: 8/10
2017 Red Bull RB13 - Malaysian GP. MVC 28
Minichamps 447171533
The 2nd win of Max's career came over a season later at the Malaysian Grand Prix, and like buses you don't get one for ages and then two come in short succession. The late season model saw much more developed barge boards and the driver numbers are now more prominent on the shark fins. This model comes with a standing figure, which by the way have vastly improved since their early 2000 versions.
Score: 9/10
I was too slow to get these two models which have much lower production runs:
MVC 26 - Chinese GP 3rd place (only 333 models)
MVC 27 - Mexican GP winner (only 500 models) with raised fist.
I had the normal Minichamps version of the Mexican GP, but does not come with the raised fist. For a fine drive, it was perhaps overshadowed by Hamilton winning the championship at that race.
2018 Red Bull RB14 - Spanish GP. MVC 35
Minichamps 413180533
Max's 2018 began with lots of errors, but once they were eradicated, he had an incredibly strong season. In the later part of the season he was scoring points at a similar rate to champion, Lewis Hamilton as Vettel's challenge faded. The Spanish Grand Prix saw his first podium. New for 2018 is the halo, and see how much more developed the barge-board region is from the beginning of 2017. Nice work from Minichamps. Score: 8/10
2018 Red Bull RB14 - Austrian GP. MVC 37
Minichamps 413180933
With Ricciardo having earned two victories in the season already, Max would have to wait until the Austrian Grand Prix before he earned his. This is Red Bull's first victory at their home circuit. Max wore a yellow version of his helmet at this race.
Score: 8/10
2018 Red Bull RB14 - Mexican GP. MVC 39
Minichamps 443181933
A small 500 Limited Edition run of the Mexican GP winner from 2018 was released on the Verstappen website. This model has updated slotted mirrors which are very nicely modelled, as well as an additional T wing at the rear of the engine cover.
Score: 8/10
Below are links to my other 2019 challenger career in models articles: Lewis Hamilton
