Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren F1 car sells for nearly R100m

Lewis Hamilton’s race-winning 2010 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25A Formula One (F1) car has been auctioned for £4.836m (R96.1m), achieving its presale estimate.

The car was sold to an unnamed buyer at the RM Sotheby’s auction that took place as part of the British Grand Prix weekend, and the MP4-25A was driven around the track after Saturday’s sprint qualifying event.

It was the first time a race-winning F1 driven by the seven-time champion was offered to the public.

Powered by a Mercedes-Benz 2.4l  naturally aspirated V8 engine, chassis number MP4-25A-01 was the first car to be built for the 2010 F1 World Championship and achieved a number of important results for the McLaren team.

The car, which was sold by an unnamed private collector — though not Hamilton or McLaren — won the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix after the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel collided while leading one-two.

Hamilton drove it in four races that year, 2009 world champion teammate Jenson Button in five, and it achieved three podium finishes and a fastest lap.

The car was restored by McLaren Racing Heritage and Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, allowing the new owner to use it on the track.

Other F1 champions’ race cars have sold for similarly large sums in recent years. In 2017, a Ferrari 2001 raced by Michael Schumacher was sold for $7.5m, the German’s 2002 Ferrari went for $6.6m in 2019, and in 2018 Ayrton Senna’s 1993 race-winning McLaren was sold for £3.7m.