Minichamps 1:43 Williams FW45 – Logan Sargeant, Las Vegas GP 2023 Art. 417232202

A 1:43 model of the Williams FW45 as raced by Logan Sargeant at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Resin, in a protective display case.

A desert race where the track was close to freezing

Las Vegas in November is hot by day and cold at night, and the Grand Prix ran at ten in the evening to suit European television. Track temperature during the race was around seven degrees — among the coldest conditions Formula One has raced in.

That is a genuine engineering problem rather than a comfort one. A Formula One tyre is designed to work above roughly 90 degrees in the tread; below that it does not grip, and the car cannot generate the heat without grip in the first place. Drivers spent entire laps weaving violently to try to get temperature into rubber that would not take it.

The consequence was a race with far more overtaking than anyone expected. Cars slid, drivers made mistakes, and the pecking order compressed — which is roughly the opposite of what a purpose-built street circuit on a wide road normally produces.

It also meant that a slow car was less disadvantaged than usual. Williams had one of its better weekends.

The Williams livery

Unlike Red Bull, Williams ran its standard blue for the weekend — so this model is the regular FW45, distinguished by the race rather than the colour.

In the range

Set 417232223 is his team-mate Alexander Albon's car from the same race, limited to 240 pieces.

Specifications

Scale: 1:43 · Resin · Protective display case · Limited edition · Age: 15+