A Ferrari 248 F1 driven by Michael Schumacher is set for auction, and is estimated to fetch one of the highest-ever prices for a Formula 1 car.
This 2006 chassis was driven to victory at five Grands Prix in his final season at Ferrari, during which he went toe-to-toe with Fernando Alonso for the World Championship before his first retirement from Formula 1.
Michael Schumacher Ferrari set for auction at potentially huge price
Additional reporting by Sam Cooper
Set to go under the hammer for auctioneers RM Sotheby’s, the car driven by Schumacher is claimed by the auction house to have “impeccable provenance”, due to it having been purchased directly from Ferrari by its current owner, which then became Ferrari Classiche Certified in 2008.
The price estimate placed on the car is “in excess of $15,000,000” – which if fetched at auction would immediately place it among the three highest prices for a Formula 1 car in history.
A front view of the 2006 Ferrari 248 F1, driven by Michael Schumacher.
Several of Schumacher’s cars already feature among the highest prices paid for a Formula 1 chassis, with title-winning cars from 2001, 2002 and 2003 all having been sold in excess of £5million apiece in the past.
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But given the status of this chassis as one raced during Schumacher’s final Ferrari season, Sotheby’s say “this car carries immense historical and sentimental value, making it one of the most significant pieces of Formula 1 history to ever come to auction.”
The chassis in question took victory at the San Marino, European, United States, French and German Grands Prix for Schumacher, with the seven-time World Champion having gone on to win two further races in Italy and China later in the year.
An aerial view of the 2006 Ferrari 248 F1, driven by Michael Schumacher.
He would eventually fall short in his quest for an elusive eighth title, though, with then-Renault driver Alonso winning back-to-back titles after his 2005 success in what was a thrilling battle between the two greats.
The Schumacher-driven Ferrari 248 F1 is set to go under the hammer in November under a Sotheby’s Sealed auction.
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