Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 World Championship-winning Ferrari F2001 will go under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s during this year’s Monaco Grand Prix weekend, marking the first time the famous auction house has conducted a sale during F1’s halo event. The Ferrari in question, chassis 211, was driven to victory by seven-time F1 World Drivers’ Champion Michael Schumacher both at Monaco in 2001 and later that year at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Fittingly, the Ferrari icon secured his fourth world title and his second with Ferrari that weekend in Budapest. The result also netted Ferrari its 11th F1 Constructors’ championship (of 16, to-date), and the team’s second in succession.
Since its championship-winning campaign, chassis 211 has been fully overhauled by Ferrari engineers to “full running and driving condition” in 2024, meaning it is potentially eligible for competition in the Scuderia’s official Corse Clienti gentlemen drivers’ program.
No estimates have been specified for chassis 211. However, when this particular car last went up at auction – also with RM Sotheby’s – in 2017, the winning bid was $7.504 million USD, more than double the previous record set by a modern Grand Prix car at auction at the time. Further details, and information on registering bids, can be found here.
The Game-Changing F2001, And Its Screaming V10
Designed from scratch and overseen by Ross Brawn, the F201 tipped the scales at just 600 kilograms (just over 1,322-pounds) “with liquids and driver,” and was powered by a ‘Tipo 050’ 3-liter (2,996.62cc) V10 capable of revving to 17,000 RPM. Twinned with a seven-speed automatic gearbox, the V10 was lighter than its predecessor at 100 kg (220-pounds). The carbon fiber composite chassis, meanwhile, was designed by, among others:
- Rory Byrne, whose F1 cars have collectively won 99 GPs (SO close…), seven Drivers’ Championships (all with Schumacher), and seven Constructors’ titles (with Benetton and Ferrari)
- Aldo Costa, now the chief technical officer at Dallara, and whose F1 cars have 14 Constructors’ championships (Ferrari and Mercedes) and 12 Drivers’ titles (Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton)
- James Allison, now technical director at the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team
“In 2001, Michael Schumacher secured his fourth championship with a then-record 123 points aboard the Ferrari F2001.”
The F2001 was designed to new regulations for the 2001 season, which mandated a higher-mounted front wing assembly (hence the low nose) to reduce downforce and, theoretically, produce closer racing. Moreover, 2001 also saw the reintroduction of traction and launch control systems, requiring a redesign of the suspension geometry too. This, plus subtly reduced weight and improved balance all-round, meant the F2001 was kinder to its tires than any of its predecessors, and the results spoke for themselves…
2001. A Crushing Championship Win For Schumacher
In 2001, Michael Schumacher won nine of that year’s 17 races, equaling both his own record from 1995 and that of Nigel Mansell during the Brit’s championship-winning year in 1992 (the German would go on to break the record in 2002 with 11 wins). Schumacher failed to finish only twice in 2001, and, incredibly, finished all but one additional race in the top two, securing his fourth championship with a then-record 123 points, double that of nearest rival David Coulthard. So strong was the F2001, in fact, that an evolution – the F201B – was raced by Schumacher in the opening two rounds of the 2002 season, in which he won (Melbourne) and finished 3rd (Sepang).
With chassis 211, Schumacher also secured his fifth – and final – win at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2001. Moreover, chassis 211 remains the only Ferrari onboard which the seven-time World Champion won both the Monaco Grand Prix and the F1 championship in the same season.
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