Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time. Seven world titles, 91 Grand Prix wins, 68 pole positions and 155 podiums. Only Lewis Hamilton has more wins, poles and podiums than the German legend. The horrible skiing accident in 2013 means we have not seen Schumacher for nearly a decade, but his legacy lives on, and son Mick is currently racing in Formula 1 with Haas and his 2022 season is really starting to come alive after a tough start.
Schumacher drove many cars throughout his F1 career. These range from the Jordan 191 to his 2012 Mercedes W03, but the ones we remember the most are those from his Ferrari days. Schumacher won five titles with Ferrari and many of his races with the Scuderia. And now, there is a chance to own one of those epic scarlet red machines. RM Sotheby’s are auctioning off a Ferrari F300 from 1998, specifically it is chassis 187, a car which is the most successful, undefeated Ferrari Formula 1 chassis across all eras. Plus, it also happens to be one of the prettiest Ferrari F1 cars ever made.
Michael Schumacher’s 1998 Ferrari F1 Chassis 187 In Greater Detail
The 1998 F1 season saw Schumacher fight McLaren’s Mika Häkkinen for the title, and ultimately it was the McLaren driver who took his first world title that season. But Schumacher still scored plenty of wins for Ferrari, and this particular chassis won four races in the hands of Schumacher as well as taking a pole position. The 1998 season was the first of shorter, narrower cars and the first year that F1 ran grooved tires compared to the slicks it had run up to the end of the 1997 season.
The F300 was powered by a 3.0-liter V10 engine that produces a staggering 800 hp. Remember, this is in a car with a lot less aero than the current 2022 cars, and the grooved tires offered less grip as well. Schumacher would go on to win six races in the 1998 season while teammate Eddie Irvine didn’t win a single race, but he dutifully played the team game in the championship. This car also won one of the most controversial Formula 1 races of the era – 1998 British Grand Prix. It was at the British GP where Schumacher was awarded a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, which the German driver controversially decided to serve after the final lap. That alone adds to its value and prestige of the very car.
The Four Wins Of Ferrari F1 Chassis 187
The first win for Schumacher in this chassis was at the Canadian Grand Prix, a race of attrition in which Schumacher started third. That day, great strategy by Ferrari helped Schumacher take the win by 16 seconds over runner-up Giancarlo Fisichella in the Benetton. Schumacher and Ferrari dominated the next race at the French Grand Prix, leading home a Ferrari 1-2 ahead of teammate Irvine. Then the F1 circus went to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, and Schumacher qualified second but nearly half a second slower than Hakkinen in the McLaren. But the race was a truly interesting affair.
Rain had made it chaotic but during a late safety car, Schumacher accidentally passed Alex Wurz which handed him a 10-second stop/go penalty. But this was given to Schumacher just two laps before the end of the race. So on the last lap, Schumacher pulled in to take the stop/go. But that meant he crossed the finish line BEFORE serving his penalty in the Ferrari pit box and controversially, Schumacher won the race in the pit lane. It had taken over 30 minutes for Ferrari to be told of the penalty, when it should have taken no more than 25 minutes. It got even more confusing at the court of appeal, but long story short, it was the FIA issuing the penalty that got it wrong.
The Success For Chassis 187 Ferrari F1 Continues
Chassis 187 would go on to win the Italian Grand Prix later that season, a race where Schumacher started on pole. This meant that in every race the car was entered, it would take the victory. Thus, it is an undefeated Ferrari with a 100% success rate in the races. It is also the only Ferrari F1 chassis to run at least three races and take victory in every single race it entered. The victories themselves make this a valuable car, but those stats make it even more remarkable.
Post Formula 1 For Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F1 Car
Ferrari held onto the car until September 1999 when the car was sold off privately. It was sold with a package of spares in race-used condition, and is still as it was when it crossed the line to win at Monza. RM Sotheby’s have estimated that chassis 187 might go for between $6,000,000 – $8,000,000. Given the race winning pedigree of the car, the fact it is a Ferrari and of course that it was driven by Michael Schumacher, that is very much possible.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
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