The first Mercedes Formula 1 car that Lewis Hamilton claimed a race victory in is heading to auction on November 17 as part of RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas auction held on the weekend of the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion claimed victory with the car at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2013, one year before the hybrid era in which Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes team dominated. Hamilton didn’t just drive the car in Hungary as this was the very W04 he drove in 14 of the 19 races held during that year’s F1 season.
RM Sotheby’s expects the car to sell for between $10 million and $15 million. It is the only Mercedes F1 car from the modern era that is not owned by Mercedes, Toto Wolff, or Lewis Hamilton himself. Adding to the value of the car is the fact that it retains the original 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated V8 and remains functional.
“This was the car that Hamilton kicked his career off with,” the global head of private sales for RM Sotheby’s Shelby Myers said. “There’s this one Lewis Hamilton Mercedes in private hands, so you’re talking about a unicorn of a car. You’re not buying another one unless you go to Lewis Hamilton or Toto Wolff.”
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In addition to his win in Hungary, Hamilton secured four other podium positions during the season and finished fourth in the championship. It was Hamilton’s first year racing for a team other than McLaren and kicked off one of the most dominant driver-team partnerships the sport has ever seen.
“In the contemporary era, Lewis Hamilton is by far the most influential driver, not just from a racing perspective, but what he’s done to transform the sport in terms of race and culture and fashion,” Myers added. “He’s not just a successful driver, he’s a personality, and I think his reputation will live on as someone who materially changed the sport for the better.”
