The 2010 McLaren MP4-25A Formula 1 racing car, the first-ever Lewis Hamilton Grand Prix winning car offered for sale, sold for a record $6,741,384 at the RM Sotheby’s Silverstone 2021 Grand Prix auction.
A 2010 McLaren Mercedes MP4-25A Formula 1 Race Car sold for £4,836,000 at the special single-lot RM Sotheby’s Silverstone auction during the annual British Grand Prix weekend in mid-July 2021. It was the first time ever that a Formula 1 car driven by Lewis Hamilton was offered for sale in a public auction. Lewis Hamilton drove this McLaren to victory in the Turkish Grand Prix in 2010. The result set a new auction record for a McLaren Formula 1 car but a Michael Schumacher Ferrari had previously sold for more.
Hamilton-Driven F1 McLaren Sold at RM Sotheby’s Silverstone Sale 2021
Formula 1® and RM Sotheby’s arranged a special auction on Saturday 17 July 2021 during the British Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone. The single-lot sale was the 2010 McLaren MP4-25A Formula 1 Racer that Lewis Hamilton drove to victory in the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix race.
The auction took place on the Saturday afternoon of the race weekend, after the first-ever Sprint Qualifying Race. To mark this unique event, Formula 1® and RM Sotheby’s have created the ground-breaking concept to sell this incredible car live while it was driven around the historic Silverstone circuit at speeds in excess of 150 mph; a unique auction set-up at one of the most iconic tracks in motorsport.
Lewis Hamilton-Winning F1 McLaren Sold at RM Sotheby’s Sale
The 2010 McLaren MP4-25A Formula 1 Racer driven to victory by Lewis Hamilton sold as expected for a record £4,836,000 / $6,741,384 (estimate £3.6 to £5 million). It thus became the most expensive McLaren Formula 1 racing car ever sold at public auction and the second most expensive modern Formula 1 racer.
The previous record for a McLaren Formula 1 car was $5,009,266 paid for a 1993 McLaren Cosworth Ford MP4/8A at Bonhams Monaco 2018. This result was slightly disappointing as Ayrton Senna raced it to his sixth win at the Monaco Grand Prix, especially as the 1984 Toleman-Hart TG184 Formula 1 Racing Single-Seater that Ayrton Senna raced to a phenomenal second place in his debut race at Monaco achieved $1.9 million in the same auction. The Mclaren marque record is $19,805,000 paid for the 1994 McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’ road car at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2019.
Record Formula 1 Car Prices at Public Auction
The most expensive Formula 1 single-seater racing car ever sold at public auction was a 1954 Mercedes Benz W196R that sold for $29,650,000 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013 sale.
The three most expensive modern Formula 1 cars were all race winners sold by RM Sotheby’s:
- The record car is Michael Schumacher’s Grand Prix-winning Ferrari F2001 sold in Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction in November 2017 for $7,504,000.
- The second most expensive modern Formula 1 car is now the Hamilton-driven 2010 McLaren MP4-25A at £4,836,000 / $6,741,384.
- The third most expensive Formula 1 racer is the Michael Schumacher’s 2002 Ferrari F2002 F1 Car, chassis #219, sold for $6,643,750 in Abu Dhabi 2019.