A championship-winning Ferrari Formula 1 car driven by Michael Schumacher will go under the hammer this week at the RM Sotheby's auction coinciding with 2024 Monterey Car Week.
The car is from the 2002 F1 season, in which Schumacher won the Drivers' title and Ferrari the Constructors' title. It bears chassis number 215, and is one of 30 Ferrari F1 cars driven to victory by Schumacher.
Ferrari ran two different chassis in the 2002 season. Due to gearbox issues that delayed getting the F2002 ready for the season, the automaker ran an updated version of its F2001 from the previous season for the first few rounds, one of which was chassis no. 215.
The updated cars were known as the F2001b, and chassis no. 215 was driven by Schumacher in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and the following Malaysian Grand Prix. He won the race in Australia and finished third in Malaysia. He started the Malaysian race on the pole position but was pushed back due to a first-lap crash.
2002 Ferrari F2001b F1 car driven by Michael Schumacher - Photo via RM Sotheby's
The F2001b kept the proven 7-speed sequential gearbox from the previous F2001 but added aerodynamic elements based on planned upgrades for the F2002. The V-10 engine was mostly the same as well, but it incorporated some upgrades from the F2002's engine.
After its racing career, chassis no. 215 was used for tire testing before Ferrari sold it to a Swiss owner who regularly used it on the track. It was then sold to its current owner in 2011. According to the listing, the car's engine, gearbox, and clutch will need to be refreshed by Ferrari technicians before it can be used again.
The auction is scheduled for Aug. 17 and RM Sotheby's estimates a selling price between $8 million and $10 million.
An F2002 driven by Schumacher in the 2002 season sold for $6.6 million in 2019, and a F2001 he drove in the 2001 season sold for $7.5 million at an auction in 2017.
