If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your very own race-winning Formula 1 car, then this November might just be your opportunity. All you need is $15 million in your pocket…
Lewis Hamilton has made a name for himself as one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers in history and he has no plans to hit the brakes anytime soon as he fiercely competes for a podium in the current racing season. He holds the title for the second-fastest lap driven in an F1 race, after the legendary Michael Schumacher, and has helped Mercedes win more than a few championships.
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Hamilton currently holds third place in the 2023 season but the seven-time champion has many wins under his belt. The impressive car he drove to first place for Mercedes-AMG Petronas will be auctioned off just before the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 18. This has piqued car fans’ interest, not only for the impressive vehicle but because it is also the only car from Hamilton’s collection that will be for sale for the foreseeable future.
When Hamilton signed with Mercedes back in 2013, the F1 community saw it as something of a gamble. He had already won his first driver’s title with McLaren and at the time, Mercedes hadn’t had any recent success at all so many questioned why he would risk making a change to a different team. But, as soon as Hamilton joined the team, Mercedes was winning races and standing at the top of podiums.
The car that is being auctioned is a chassis W04 which Hamilton drove to first place in his only Hungarian Grand Prix victory. That was in his very first season with Mercedes. The team won the championship for 6 years in a row after that until Max Verstappen with Red Bull came to steal the title. Since then, Verstappen has been dominating and Hamilton has been fighting his way back to the podium.
The car is unique as it is one of the last Mercedes F1 cars to feature a V-8. Soon after it was produced the teams were mandated to use a turbo-charged V-6. It is also unique in that it is the only Mercedes racing car not owned by Hamilton or the team principal, Toto Wolff. As such, the decommissioned race car is a special vehicle and one that is predicted to fetch upwards of $15 million at auction.
Shelby Myers, who works for RM Sotheby’s, the company that will be hosting the auction, explains just how rare this car is. She states, “This undeniable piece could emerge as one of the most coveted collectibles in the foreseeable future”.
The suite of the auction is also one for the history books. The eagerly awaited race in Las Vegas this year is the first time Nevada has hosted an F1 race since the early 1980s. Construction of the track is still underway as the Las Vegas Strip is transformed into a racetrack.
Formula 1 racing fans eagerly await November 18th to see who will win the Las Vegas Grand Prix and who will become the new owner of a Grand Prix-winning race car!
