A Ferrari Method 1 race automotive pushed by Michael Schumacher in his first championship yr with the Scuderia is heading to public sale with RM Sotheby’s. It is going to be a sealed public sale that requires events to ship one sealed bid from April 3-12.
The Ferrari F2000 marked the start of the Ferrari-Schumacher championship dynasty. Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996 after two championship seasons with Benetton searching for to revive the crew, however that did not come to fruition till 2000, when the German received the drivers’ title, whereas Ferrari received the constructors’ championship. Schumacher and Ferrari went on to dominate F1 via the 2004 season.
2000 Ferrari F2000 chassis 198 pushed by Michael Schumacher (picture by way of RM Sotheby’s)
With a design overseen by Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, who had adopted Schumacher from Benetton, the F2000 had critical tempo. Throughout the 17-race season, Schumacher took 9 pole positions and 9 victories. His teammate, Rubens Barichello, additionally received a single Grand Prix.
The automotive up for public sale is chassis 198, which Schumacher drove to victory on the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix, in addition to the pole place and fifth total at that yr’s Spanish Grand Prix. Notably, that is additionally the automotive Schumacher drove to a pole place on the 2000 Monaco—his solely pole with Ferrari at that prestigious race. Schumacher practically took victory at that race as nicely however retired with a damaged pushrod.
2000 Ferrari F2000 chassis 198 pushed by Michael Schumacher (picture by way of RM Sotheby’s)
This automotive’s ultimate race was the 2000 Austrian Grand Prix, the place Schumacher certified third, however retired after being hit by the BAR-Honda of Ricardo Zonta. The automotive was repaired and delivered to the season’s remaining races, however was by no means used once more, based on the public sale itemizing. Ferrari subsequently rebuilt chassis 198, displayed it on the 2001 Geneva motor present, and offered it to Ferrari collector Kevin Crowder of Texas. Acquired by the vendor in 2016, chassis 198 is Ferrari Classiche licensed and has been pushed at quite a few Corse Clienti observe days, the itemizing says.
A number of ex-Schumacher F1 automobiles have come up on the market lately, together with two examples of the 1998 Ferrari F300, certainly one of which received all 4 of its races, making it Schumacher’s most profitable F1 automotive. A Schumacher-driven Ferrari F2002 offered for $5.9 million at public sale in 2019, whereas an F2003-GA from the next season offered for $14.8 million at a November 2022 public sale.