Car that kick-started Schumacher and Ferrari dominance to be auctioned

RM Sotheby's is auctioning another legendary F1-winning car: Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F1-2000.

A formidable pairing between Michael Schumacher's talent and the engineering genius of the Scuderia Ferrari team resulted in back-to-back Formula One World Drivers’ Championships between 2000 and 2004.

Then technical director Ross Brawn helped create the now legendary Ferrari F1-2000 grand prix car. The ground-breaking racer made its competition debut in 2000, boasting an advanced package of aerodynamics and a redesigned 90-degree V10 engine that allowed engineers to subtly lower the car’s centre of gravity.

A blistering pace and dominant performance by Schumacher in the opening race in Australia was followed by success in Brazil. 

Though the team faced some unfortunate luck during the middle of the season, the F1-2000s pace did not disappoint: in the next 11 grands prix, Schumacher placed the iconic red machine on pole position no fewer than eight times.

The German ace closed the season with four back-to-back wins, clinching the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in the penultimate race of the season at Suzuka.

That win represented the first time a driver from the Scuderia had topped the Drivers’ Championship table since South African Jody Scheckter some 21 years earlier — a historic feat that served as the springboard for one of the most celebrated periods in Ferrari history.

Chassis 198, the car offered here, proved vital to the success of Schumacher’s championship-winning 2000 season. Serving initially as the Scuderia’s spare car after badly damaging the undercarriage of his first car, chassis 198 was called up during qualifying and subsequently started the race third on the grid.

Schumacher battled against Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard in chassis 198, and the car’s next competitive outing would come at Monaco, the technical, tight street circuit suiting the F1-2000 again. The German ace scored pole position, a historical moment for chassis 198, as this was the last time Schumacher achieved a pole position at Monaco in a Ferrari.

Chassis 198’s final race with Schumacher took place at the A1-Ring in Austria. Schumacher qualified chassis 198 in third position with teammate Rubens Barrichello behind in fourth. Unfortunately, luck was not on the Scuderia’s side at Austria as right at the start of the race Ricardo Zonta, in his BAR-Honda, hit Schumacher from behind, forcing both to retire from the race.

Thankfully, the damage to the car was light. However, it was enough to end its racing for the day.

The car was subsequently repaired by Ferrari and brought to all of the remaining Grand Prix races of the 2000 season but was not used again in Grand Prix competition.

The car was returned to Maranello, where it was completely rebuilt.

In March 2001, the car was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show on Ferrari’s stand and subsequently sold to Ferrari collector Kevin Crowder of Texas in the US, who had the car Ferrari Classiche-certified in 2005 and prepared for use in F1 Clienti events.

The consignor purchased chassis 198 in 2016 and drove it in several Ferrari Corse Clienti events.

Today, it offers its next owner a rare opportunity to own a race-winning grand prix car from one of the golden periods of Formula One.

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