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Last year, RM Sotheby’s auctioned a Ferrari F1-2003 GA Formula 1 car that Michael Schumacher drove to five wins and the F1 Championship in 2003. The F1-2003 sold for more than $15 million, setting a record for an F1 car. Next month, RM Sotheby’s will be back with another definition of provenance, this time in the form of one of the F1-2000 chassis’ that Schumacher used to bring the double of Driver’s and Constructor’s World Championships back to Maranello. Ferrari had won the Constructor’s Championship the year before, but a Scuderia driver hadn’t hoisted the pilot’s trophy since Jody Scheckter in 1979. Lot 101 is being offered in a sealed auction April 3-12 alongside an anniversary sale in Hong Kong.
Back when teams brought a single spare car to each race for their lead drivers, Chassis 198 was Schumacher’s backup. The car didn’t stay in the truck for long, Schumacher needing it for the second race of the season in Brazil after an off during qualifying. He lined up on the grid in third and drove Chassis 198 to victory ahead of McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen. Three races later, Schumacher put the same car on his first pole position of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, problems during pit stops relegating him to fifth at the checkered flag. Two races later, in Monaco, Schumacher hustled Chassis 198 to pole position, the last time the German would ever score pole for Ferrari in the Principality. He ended that race in retirement with a suspension failure. The car’s final outing happened three races later at the Austrian Grand Prix. Schumacher lined up in third on the grid then got hit by Ricardo Zonta in a BAR-Honda on the first lap, sending him into retirement. Ferrari rebuilt the car but it didn’t race again.
Chassis 198 is eligible for Ferrari’s Corse Clienti events, where the current owner took the car to track days in 2017 and 2020. Whoever takes this one home is going to get a meticulously maintained, old-school howler, the 3.0-liter V10 behind the cockpit making 770 horsepower and a far more impressive noise.
Lot 101 will be on display April 1-6 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Contact RM Sotheby’s for a pre-sale estimate if you’re looking for places to spend your tax refund.
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