Victoria’s secret model Kate Upton shows off her smokin’ hot body on the cover of the newly released Sports Illustrated Magazine 2012 Swimsuit Issue.

The 19-year-old model (yes, you read that right! she’s only 19!) poses in a teeny tiny red and brown string bikini that looks as if it’s simply painted over her eye-popping assets.

“That was one of the first photos from the first shoot,” Upton said in a telephone interview with the AP. “It was my favorite swimsuit … I felt sexy in it but confident.”

As an up and coming supermodel, landing the cover of SI’s coveted Swimsuit Issue, which is published only once a year, is a pretty big deal, so congratulations are definitely in order for Kate Upton!

Check out another sexy shot from her spread below:

Your thoughts on the pictures?