Alonso's R23

Minichamps 1/43 Renault R23 Team Edition
Fernando Alonso

Minichamps released the ordinary version of this car and the team edition. Both cars look identical to each other except for the paint in the camera and the nice packaging of the team edition. I bought this diecast from a seller in the U.S. who regularly converts F1 cars to have tobacco branding. Everything was ok, except for the minor decal lifting on the rear wing that I myself had to fix.
Its nice to look at the R23 with Mild Seven decals, exactly how it raced in Malaysia, where Fernando had his first podium finish and in the Hungaroring, where Fernando Alonso had his first win.



The Renault R23 is a Formula One car that competed in the 2003 Formula One season. The driver lineup were Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso who replaced Jenson Button who left for British American Racing.

The team started at pole at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix. Later the team won the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix, the first time Renault had won a Grand Prix since the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix. Renault was innovative during this period producing non-standard designs such as the 111° 10-cylinder engine for the 2003 RS23 which was designed to effectively lower the center of gravity of the engine and thus improve the car's handling. This eventually proved too unreliable and heavy, so Renault returned to a more conventional development route. Eventually the team finished fourth in the construtors championship with 88 points.