A real piece of Formula 1 history is coming up for auction.
RM Sotheby’s has been consigned to sell the F1 race car that Lewis Hamilton used to secure his first win for Mercedes-Benz AMG, which happened at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The win is significant as it was the start of Hamilton’s epic run that would see him win six of his current seven world championship titles. His first title, won in 2008, was with McLaren.
The car bears chassis number F1W04-04 and was driven by Hamilton in 14 of the 19 races held in 2013’s F1 season. Hamilton was only successful at the Hungarian round that season. He scored both pole position and the win that round, while Sebastian Vettel, driving for Red Bull Racing, would claim the title.
Mercedes AMG’s Lewis Hamilton after winning the 2013 Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix
RM Sotheby’s estimates a selling price of between $10 million and $15 million. The price is high, though historically significant Mercedes F1 cars rarely come up for sale. That’s because almost all of them are either owned by Mercedes, Toto Wolff, the CEO or co-owner of the Mercedes F1 team, or the car’s driver. And unlike many F1 cars that are sold, this one retains its power unit and transmission, an RM Sotheby’s spokesperson told Bloomberg.
The 2013 season was the last for a V-8 engine in F1, as the next season saw the sport introduce the current V-6 format. The V-8 is a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine paired with a KERS-style hybrid system.
The car’s auction is scheduled for Nov. 17 at RM Sotheby’s sale coinciding with the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The sale will take place at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, one day before Hamilton will race down the famous strip in his current Mercedes F1 car.
It won’t be the first F1 car driven by Hamilton to go under the hammer. A McLaren F1 car from the 2010 season, which was driven that season by Hamilton and his teammate, fellow world champion Jenson Button, sold at auction in 2021 for $6.45 million.
