Despite being retired from Formula 1, seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher continues to set unprecedented records, with his 2003 Ferrari, the F2003-GA, having sold for a record price at an auction in Geneva.
Incredibly, the car was bought at auction for 13.2 million Swiss francs, a fee which rose to 14.6 million Swiss francs after taxes were added.
The fee breaks the previous record for a modern-era F1 car which was also held by one of Schumacher’s title winning Ferrari’s, with his 2001 car having sold for $7.5 million in 2017.
“This remarkable car has achieved a world record price for a modern-era Formula One,” the Sotheby’s auctioneer said following the auction.
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It is “one of the most significant Formula One cars of all time”, the auctioneers added.
It was chassis 229 which was specifically sold and was expected to only go for 9.5 million Swiss francs, meaning that the winning bidder from Europe played their part in exceeding the expectations of Sotheby’s.
The car made nine appearances following its debut at the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix, where it also claimed its first of five victories in the campaign.
Schumacher drove the car (chassis 229) as he claimed his fourth consecutive World Championship for the Italians and the sixth of his F1 career, highlighting what is a massively significant vehicle in the world of motorsport.
“It’s one of the Ferraris with the most victories in the constructor’s history, so it’s a very important car in the history of motor racing,” Vincent Luzuy, from the Sotheby’s branch dealing with luxury car sales, told AFP.
The car also represents the one that Schumacher drove to become at the time an unprecedented six-time World Champion, after eclipsing Juan Manuel Fangio’s five titles.
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Nowadays, his seven titles are, of course, matched by Lewis Hamilton, with many having endured lengthy debates over which of the seven times World Champions are the better driver.
Statistically, Hamilton does come out on top over the German, who hasn’t been seen since his tragic ski accident; however, Schumacher competed against and beat some of the biggest legends of the sport.
Gerhard Berger, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen are just some of the names who were beaten to titles by Schumacher, highlighting the depth of talent he had to overcome over his years at the pinnacle of motorsport.