The Ferrari Formula 1 car with which German driver Michael Schumacher took one of his most memorable victories in the 1998 Formula 1 season (which unfortunately Michael lost in the final round of the championship in the Suzuka showdown to McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen) is up for private sale with an asking price of USD 4.9 million.
The chassis is the one used by Michael Schumacher and the Maranello team in the 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix at the HUngaroring, a great win that was seen as a strategic masterstroke by Ross Brawn as well as proof of Michael Schumacher’s genius behind the wheel.
McLaren seemed a lot stronger that weeked and championship leader Mika Hakkinen started from pole position at the Hungaoring. Everybody anticipated an easy one-two for McLaren, with David Coulthard also on the front grid, at a circuit where passing is very difficult. The Ferrari driver started the race from third place and kept his position behind David Coulthard – who was doing everything possible to help his teammate build a strong lead. However, Mika Hakkinen’s car started having a shock absorber problem.
Ross Brawn decided to go for a short second pitstop for Michael Schumacher and gave him the difficult target of gaining 25s in only 19 laps: “We need 19 qualifying laps from you,” said Ross Brawn over the radio, to which Schumacher calmly replied: “OK, thank you.”
Michael Schumacher’s incredible pace, to which Coulthard had no answer, when combined with Mika Hakkinen’s handling problem, was the key to a sensational win by over 9s at the chequered flag.
“This was one of my most emotional wins,” said Michael Schumacher. “The team picked the right strategy, although at first I was not quite sure if our plan would work out, as I was stuck behind Jacques [Villeneuve in the Williams] and David for some time. In the end, it turned out that the team had made the right decision. Of course, we benefited from the problems of our competitors, although throughout the race I could easily match the pace of the McLarens.”
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The Ferrari driver even briefly left the track, losing almost 5s, but didn’t damage the car. Michael Schumacher drove this car once more time that year, in the deciding round at Suzuka. Despite the fact that he qualified on pole position, his race was compromised even before the start when he stalled on the formation lap, which meant he had to start from the back of the grid.
Michael made an incredible recovery race and was running third when he ran over debris from a previous collision between two other cars, and his tyre deflated a few laps later, which gave the Formula 1 title to Mika Hakkinen:
“First of all I want to congratulate Mika Hakkinen and his team,” said Schumacher. “They performed better throughout the season and so they deserve the title. I think we did not lose this championship in Suzuka, but in the early stages of the season, when we were too far behind. I do not feel too disappointed, because I think the team can be proud of what we achieved this season. I feel sad for the boys, as all their hard work did not pay off in the end. The engine stalled because the clutch did not free itself and I do not know why. All the work this weekend was then wasted as I had to start from the back. The first couple of laps were good fun. All the other drivers were very fair and did not try and make life difficult for me. I did not expect a rear tyre to explode as I had problems with a flat-spotted front, which caused a lot of vibration.” – he said.
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