Minichamps 1-18 and 1-43 Russell 2020 Sakhir GP Mercedes F1 W11 diecast model car review

Our remaining stock quantities are now running low on Minichamps' 1:18 and 1:43 replicas of George Russell’s Mercedes F1 W11 from the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. They are limited editions of 1,002 and 1,416 pieces respectively.

The 2020 Sakhir GP, of course, was the occasion of Russell’s outstanding one-off appearance for Mercedes. The then 22-year old had only a few days’ notice that Lewis Hamilton had tested positive for COVID, and that he had been drafted in to replace him. The youngster did not let the opportunity slip through his fingers. In qualifying, he placed second, just 0.026 seconds behind his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Then, in the race, he calmly took the lead going into the first corner. What was meant to be his one scheduled pit stop went smoothly, and a fairy-tale result looked within his grasp. Fate, however, had other ideas, and then some! First, Jack Aitken (ironically the driver standing in for Russell at Williams) spun and clouted the barrier, leaving his front wing on the racing line. This brought out the Safety Car. Mercedes called both its drivers in for fresh rubber, but it got Russell and Bottas’s tyres mixed up. Russell was sent out with two of Bottas’s tyres attached, and had to pit once more to have the situation rectified.

This left the youngster down in fifth place, but he did not let his head drop. When racing resumed he swiftly carved his way up to second, with only the Racing Point of Sergio Perez standing in between him and that dream result. He then agonisingly had to come into the pits for a fourth time, on this occasion to have a punctured rear tyre replaced. This dumped him down to 15th position. In a true testament to his character, he fought back to ninth place at the flag, scoring the first two points of his Formula One career, plus another for setting the fastest lap.

Regardless of the end result, this was a performance that well and truly put George Russell on the map.

Click Minichamps 1-18 and 1:43 Russell 2020 Sakhir GP Mercedes F1 W11 to order.