Winning Michael Schumacher Ferrari F1 Car Is The Perfect Way To Start A Conversation

Jul. 30, 2023 1:01 PM ET by Rex Sanchez Formula One / Comments

The F2001b won the 2002 Australian Grand Prix season opener and secured the Scuderia's 150th pole position in F1.

Sotheby's Sealed is auctioning seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher's F2001b, a car the German racing driver used for the first three races of the 2002 season. The F2001b had a short yet spectacular track record, including winning the 2002 Australian Grand Prix season opener.

Ferrari teammate Ruben Barrichello took the pole at the Albert Park Circuit. But as always, the points are on Sundays, and Schumacher was victorious in the F2001b. In the following race at the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix, Schumacher earned the pole position, which also secured Ferrari's 150th pole position in F1.

The F2001b is a variation of the Scuderia's 2001 season-winning F2001 with the chassis 215. At the end of the 2002 season, the German racing driver became a five-time F1 champion, joining the great Juan Manuel Fangio, who was recently inducted into the 2023 class of the Automotive Hall of Fame.

The F2001b is powered by a 3.0-liter naturally-aspirated V10 engine capable of generating 825 horsepower. The screaming V10 sends power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential gearbox. It weighs around 1,322 lbs, making it twice lighter than a modern-day Toyota Corolla.

Many Ferrari F1 cars driven by Schumacher were already sold, and all came with eye-watering price tags. Schumi's Ferrari F2003 was sold for a whopping $14.87 million, which could get you more than 20 Ferrari SF90 Stradale units today. Other cars were sold for way less, like the F2001 for $7.5 million and F2004 for $3.2 million.

Regardless, the Ferrari cars enabled Schumacher to achieve its prestigious seven F1 titles. Only Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton is the other driver in history to deliver the same feat.

Sotheby's Sealed did not disclose the estimated auction price. But we are bound to find out soon as the auction opens on August 16.