Racing suits worn by Michael Schumacher on the way to some of his seven F1 championships are the top lots in a huge sale of motorsport memorabilia taking place online this month.
RM Sotheby’s are hosting the sale: The Champions – Schumacher and F1 Legends, which assembles more than 300 lots, all being sold without reserve prices.
Schumacher is among the most popular and valuable modern F1 drivers.
Tobacco advertising was a major part of the branding back in the 90s, but it’s the red of Ferrari and the magic of Schumacher that attracts collectors. Image courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
His extraordinary achievements (his titles record is shared with Lewis Hamilton), and his history with Ferrari, which has a huge fandom of its own, are given a compelling human element by the tragedy of his post-racing life.
Schumacher was gravely injured in a skiing accident in 2013. He has not been seen in public since, and details of his condition are private.
Going into the sale which opens on July 23 and closes on July 30, the highest valued item is a signed Ferrari racing suit worn in 1997.
The suit, in trademark Ferrari red, was the one in which Schumacher drove to victory in that year’s Monaco Grand Prix – his first win of the season.
Ferrari finished runner up in the constructor’s championship, but Schumacher was stripped of his own second place after he was deemed at fault for a collision with his rival for the title Jacques Villeneuve in the final race.
The suit is packed with personal details tying it to the driver and is expected to realise between €30,000 and €40,000 (around £25,000 to £35,000).
It is one of seven Schumacher Ferrari driver’s suits in the sale. Three Benetton suits are also listed.
Among the most personal items on sale are a number of watches.
This watch was a gift to Jean Todt on his arrival at Ferrari, where he built a triumphant, championship-winning machine. Image courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
A sale price of €30,000 is considered possible for a 1993 Girard-Perregaux watch given to Ferrari chief Jean Todt.
With cutting edge engineering, big personalities, and a moneyed fan scene, F1 is rich ground for collectors.
Cars are the most valuable items, and last year a 1958 Mercedes-Benz W196 R ‘Streamliner’ made nearly £44 million at auction.
At the Monaco Grand Prix this year, Schumacher’s Ferrari, in which he won the 2001 race, realised £13.5 million.
