Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton’s 2010 McLaren to be auctioned

At the British Grand Prix this July, a race-winning Formula One McLaren driven by Lewis Hamilton in 2010 will be auctioned off as it completes laps of the Silverstone track. The Mercedes-powered MP4-25A is expected to raise around 5 million pounds (INR 50 crores). He drove the McLaren to victories in Turkey, Canada, and Belgium.

Hamilton, now at Mercedes, is the most prolific driver in Formula One history, with a record 100 pole positions and 98 victories. According to auction house RM Sotheby’s, who are selling the car on behalf of a private collector, this is the first time one of Hamilton’s cars has been up for auction.

The car specialist was quoted saying, “’It’s the first time a Lewis Hamilton race winner has ever been publicly offered. This is from an era where the engines were still screaming V8s and it will be driven around the track in anger. It will appeal to someone who either wants it as a collector’s item or literally wants to drive and sit where Lewis and Jenson sat and thrash it around the track. If someone was willing to pay over a million quid for Kanye West’s trainers, I think there’s someone out there for a Lewis Hamilton Formula One car. It’s a true piece of art, a piece of history.”

The car will be driven for the buyer by McLaren Heritage, which will require about eight people and several days of planning. Avon rubber has been used to replace the original Bridgestone tires. According to Archer, the price puts it in the same league as the cars operated by the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher of Germany.

For a good reference, in Abu Dhabi in 2019, a 2002 Ferrari F1 car driven by Schumacher was sold for around 4.6 million pounds. The candidate will have to be identified. Though, due to COVID-19 precautions requiring them to work in a bio-bubble, it would not be anybody from the F1 herd.