Former Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher’s title-winning racecar fetched a whopping $18.17 million (€15.98m) at auction earlier this week. The Ferrari F2001 was purchased at an auction hosted just before the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. Schumacher was behind the wheel of the F2001 in question during his stunning Monte Carlo win at Monaco in 2001. The $18-Million price tag makes it the most expensive F1 car driven by Michael Schumacher ever sold.
RM Sotheby sold the iconic car in an auction hosted at F1’s Paddock Club hospitality. Bidding at the Monaco event started at $9.09 million (€8 million), with it finally coming down to two bidders, A telephone bidder, and a person in the room. The in-person bidder ultimately went home with a piece of Ferrari and F1 history for a staggering $16.1 million (€14.2 million). With fees, the final amount came to $18.17 million (€15.98m).
This now takes the spot as the most expensive car driven by Michael Schumacher. The last one was the 2003 Ferrari F2003. That vehicle fetched an impressive $13.2 million (€11.4 million) by Sotheby’s in 2022 at an event in Geneva. [All figures via The New York Times]
Michael Schumacher drove the same F2001 chassis in Monaco and Hungary in 2001. At the latter Grand Prix is where he secured his fourth championship title. The F2003 sold three years ago also comes from a season which ended with the German becoming world champion.
Schumacher’s drive with the F2001 was the last time that a Ferrari vehicle won Monaco and the championship in the same season.
Here’s a look at some of other Michael Schumacher driven cars sold at auction
Ferrari F2001 and the F2003 top the list of the most expensive Michael Schumacher driven cars sold at an auction. However, there are other cars piloted by the champion as well that made their way to the bidding arena.
Another car sold in 2022 was the Ferrari F300. This was driven by Schumacher during the 1998 season. Although it didn’t bring him championship glory, Michael Schumacher did celebrate four race wins with that car. Driving this chassis, he won the Canadian, British, French, and Italian Grand Prixes. It is also the only Ferrari car to have entered at least three races and win all of them. It was sold for $6.2 million (€5.4 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in California.
The German’s 15-time race-winning machine, Ferrari F2002, was sold in auction in 2019 for $6.6 million (€5.8 million). Of those 15 wins from 2002, three were secured by Schumacher using this particular chassis. The races he won were the San Marino, Austrian and French Grand Prixes. Schumacher eventually won the title at the end of this season as well. [All figures via PlanetF1]
