Renowned Cape Town-based professional Red Bull sports photographer Craig Kolesky would never have thought that his eight-year-old son’s suggestion to take pictures of his toys would result in the overwhelming response that he’s received. 

What began as a fun father-and-son activity to remedy the initial 21-day national lockdown, due to an inability to shoot his usual live-action sports shots (surfing, skateboarding etc.) has now turned into an epic miniature series of creatively executed toy-in-action shots. Kolesky’s latest installment in the lockdown-inspired ‘toy-in-action miniature series’ recreates the world-famous, and world-record-breaking, Red Bull Racing F1 pit stop.

The series replicates the moments that wowed fans at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Aston Martin Red Bull Racing broke the world record for the fastest pit stop in the world, clocked at an astounding 1.82s. This broke the previous mark of 1.88s, also set by Red Bull earlier that year at the German Grand Prix – both achievements placing the Red Bull Racing crew far ahead of their peers in the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award leaderboard.

By customising a miniature Red Bull Racing pit stop crew, designing a Red Bull Racing pit area with tyre marks and capturing every detail of the miniature crew members at work, Craig was able to transport fans to the breathtaking moment that came and went in the blink of an eye.

“I really pushed the limits in this shoot,” explains Kolesky, who employed a number of unconventional techniques to add as much realism to the shoot as possible. “I’ve definitely learnt a lot, shooting this kind of subject. I never thought I’d ever be able to shoot toys in my life.” Indeed, the final result captures the thrill and energy of the real thing, as seen in the series of remarkably life-like shots.

This is the latest installment to compliment the Red Bull Pit Stop Challenge, which gives fans who think they’ve got what it takes to beat the fastest pit stop in the world, the chance to do just that. By taking part in the challenge, fans stand the chance to win a Red Bull Racing experience at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.