The Legendary Ferrari F1 Vehicle Driven By Michael Schumacher Is Put Up For Auction
by AutoExpert | 22 March, 2023
RM Sotheby's is set to hold a sealed auction from April 3–12, featuring the Ferrari F1-2000 chassis 198, the car Michael Schumacher drove to victory in the 2000 championship. Schumacher used the car during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, securing third position on the starting grid, and went on to win the race.
The vehicle was initially used as a spare car by the Ferrari team. Schumacher also took pole position in the same car at the Spanish Grand Prix, leading the race until a refueling problem and a slow puncture saw him finish in fifth place. As is typical when cars driven by Schumacher are sold at auction, the vehicle is expected to fetch a substantial sum.
Chassis 198 was also driven by Schumacher during the Monaco Grand Prix, where he qualified in pole position and had a commanding 35-second lead before being forced to retire due to a broken pushrod. The car's final competitive appearance was at the A1-Ring in Austria, where Schumacher qualified third and ultimately helped secure both the 2000 Drivers' Championship and the Constructors' Championship for Ferrari.
According to Shelby Myers, the global head of Private Sales at RM Sotheby’s, the auction house has a reputation for offering some of the most important Formula 1 cars for sale, particularly those associated with Michael Schumacher, who is widely regarded as the greatest Ferrari F1 driver of all time.
In 2022, RM Sotheby’s sold the F2003-GA chassis no. 229 for CHF 14,630,000 during the Sotheby’s Luxury Week sale in Geneva, which set a new record as the most valuable Formula 1 car ever sold in the modern era. Prior to that, the record was held by another Ferrari driven by Schumacher, the F2001, which sold for $7,504,000 during a contemporary art sale at Sotheby’s in New York in 2017.
