60 years of Ferrari Formula One champions - real thing and diecast replicas

**FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND HIS MODELS IN THE MARCH ISSUE OF COLLECTORS GAZETTE

After 1984, Ferrari’s title successes dried up and it was not until the signing of double World Champion Michael Schumacher in 1996 that Ferrari’s fortunes started to improve.

The combination of Schumacher, Ross Brawn and designer Rory Byrne were reunited at the Scuderia following their previous successes at Benetton, where the German had won his first two titles. At Ferrari, they more than repeated these successes.

1999-2004 SCHUMACHER TAKES CONTROL – 1999 Ferrari F399 V10 3 litre
In 1999 it looked as though Schumacher was going to regain the crown in his fourth Ferrari season, winning three of the first four races of the season. However, a crash at the Silverstone Circuit during the mid-season British Grand Prix resulted in Schumacher breaking a leg and missing seven races in the second half of the season. He was replaced during that time by the Finnish driver, Mika Salo.

In Schumacher’s absence his team mate, Irishman Eddie Irvine, placed himself in a good position to win the title with some strong drives. He took the Ferrari challenge to the final round in Japan before missing out to Mika Häkkinen, who won the Driver’s title for McLaren. The total results gained by Irvine and Schumacher ensured Ferrari won the Constructor’s title, their first for 15 years.

THE MODELS
Mattel
In the USA, Mattel had secured the world licensing rights, through its ‘Hot Wheels’ brand, to be the sole Ferrari model outlet. Mattel had also negotiated a separate agreement with Schumacher that had originally been held from the late 1980s by the German company Minichamps.

Mattel released 1/18 and 1/43 scale models of both team drivers in standard and increasingly special limited editions as the years, and the Ferrari titles, progressed.

In 2000, Mattel released both Schumacher and Irvine’s F399 cars in several versions...

*This is an excerpt of the article '60 years of Formula One champions' first published in Diecast Collector's March issue. To see which issues of Diecast Collector are available to buy online, click here

*Diecast Collector is a monthly magazine which focuses on all types of diecast models from Dinky Toys to Oxford Diecast