There is aura and then there is Michael Schumacher. Growing up watching Formula One, it was hard not to be impressed by the German in Red, dominating race after race, riding the prancing horse to victory. If there was a pantheon of millennial sporting excellence, it would include Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Schumacher.
Is it a surprise then that one of his F1 cars, the 2001 Ferrari F2001 Chassis 211, has just sold for €15.98 million? It is not. That is the price to rub shoulders with greatness. Or perhaps rub race seats with greatness. Either way.
Schumacher puts the F2001 Chassis 211 through its paces around the streets of Monaco.
The car was sold by RM Sotheby’s last weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix, the first time a sale has been conducted during a Grand Prix weekend in the principality. The reason for that is that Chassis 211 won the race in 2001 when it was driven by Schumacher, making it the last Ferrari car to win at Monaco in a championship-winning year.
The car was also used and victorious at the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix, which secured Schumacher’s fourth Drivers’ Championship. That win also secured back-to-back Championship doubles for Schumacher and Ferrari.
This is all a lot of words to say that the F2001 is one of the great F1 cars. I, and no doubt also many others, yearn for the days of the V10s. There are few sounds as special to the F1 fan than the 17,000rpm scream of the V10. The car was also designed by the Scuderia ‘super team’ of Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, key components of Ferrari’s domination at the turn of the century. Our very own Adam Hay-Nicholls wrote the particulars for the car, if more information is your desire.
RM Sotheby’s describe this car as ‘The Schumacher Crown Jewel’. It’s hard not to agree. Congratulations to the lucky owner. A charitable donation will be made from the proceeds to Michael Schumacher’s Keep Fighting Foundation.
-
A flat for sale in the building where Agatha Christie lived, and it's both the most interesting and most affordable home for sale in Hampstead todayThe Isokon Lawn Road flats in Belsize Park are a Grade I-listed architectural icon with a fascinating history, and one of them is currently for sale. Toby Keel takes a look.
-
Guinness, The Beatles and Beckham's first game for England? It can only be the Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 15, 2025Test your general knowledge in Wednesday's quiz.
-
Vested interest: The history of the waistcoatFavoured by Byronic bluesmen, Eton pops and rotund royalty, the waistcoat and its later iterations are an integral part of the Englishman’s wardrobe, says Simon Mills.
-
Nine of Britain's most beautiful and awe-inspiring painted ceilings from the Country Life archiveOur round-up of some of the Britain's prettiest painted ceilings is a good reminder to always look up.
-
The Glovebox: The fastest coffee shop on four wheelsBentley joins forces with Joe & The Juice, Rolls-Royce makes a Spectre for a dog, an Austin Mini with royal connections comes up for auctions, and Norman Foster clambers into a Bulldog.
-
‘One remembers not to give the Queen a thump of joyful friendliness’: Remembering Norman Parkinson — revolutionary fashion photographer and Cecil Beaton’s only homegrown rivalCecil Beaton might be the toast of London right now, with a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, but contemporary Norman Parkinson was always hot on his heels.
-
Tim Knox, director of the Royal Collection, charts a century of regal tasteEdward VII swept away the cobwebs of mid-Victorian style, Queen Mary had passion for all things small and the Queen Mother bought rather avant-garde art.
-
‘One of the most amazing spaces in London’: Two Hogarth murals, inside an 18th century London hospital, are to go on public display for the first timeSt Bartholomew's Hospital’s north wing is to open as a visitor attraction and events space — while the rest of the hospital will continue to operate as normal.
-
Sophia Money-Coutts: A snob's guide to welliesWellington boots are a signifier, says Sophia Money-Coutts, of whether you are 'proper country' or not.
-
Fall the right way: Country Life's shopping guide to the very best this autumnFrom tweed to tartan, scented candles to sandwiches, here's how to spend your money this autumn.
