GENEVA (AFP) - Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2003-GA was sold for 13 million Swiss francs ($13.2 million) at an auction on Wednesday.
The F2003 was one of the most successful cars ever driven by the German Formula 1 driver, who won five races and the 2003 World Championship with it.
An unknown buyer bought Chassis 229 via telephone after surpassing every bid after the price hit 10 million francs inside 15 minutes at the Sotheby’s auction in Geneva.
The auction house Sotheby’s, which had estimated that the Ferrari would sell for up to 9.5 million francs, showed the final price as 14.69 million francs including fees and taxes.
The Chassis 229 was given Ferrari’s “Red Book” certification and was restored in 2022 at the firm’s Maranello factory.
Schumacher drove it for the first time on his way to winning the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth race of that season. The German also won the Austrian, Canadian, Italian and U.S. Grands Prix in the car as he clinched the World Championship. Ferrari also won their 13th Constructor’s Championship title in 2003.
After retiring from F1 in 2012, Schumacher suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013 in Switzerland. The seven-time world champion has not been seen in public since, and information as to his condition is scarce.