One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time

The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229

Live Auction: 9 November 2022 • 4:00 PM CET • Geneva

O n 9 November 2022 at Sotheby’s in Geneva, car collectors will have the unprecedented opportunity to bid on a unique Formula One Cars: The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA, Chassis 229 offered by RM Sotheby’s.

Ferrari has a long and illustrious history in motor racing and has competed in the Formula 1 World Championship since its inception in 1950. However, it has never known a period of sustained dominance to match what it achieved in the early years of the 21st century. After signing German sensation Michael Schumacher—already a two-time World Champion with Benetton—for the 1996 season, the Scuderia built around him a “superteam” that was overseen by Jean Todt and included such engineering talent as Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Paolo Martinelli. Once they all hit their stride, Ferrari and Schumacher were quite simply unstoppable.

Starting in 2000, when it overcame its great rival McLaren, the partnership won five consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships. Such was its superiority in 2002 that Schumacher had secured the Drivers’ title by the French Grand Prix in July, with six races still to go. The following year would be much harder work.

Ferrari started the year with an update of the old F2002, but Schumacher won just once in the opening four races. Only at the fifth round in Spain did the Scuderia introduce its new F2003-GA—the initials honouring late Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli, who had died in January. It was a longer-wheelbase design than its predecessor, which enabled Ferrari to package the aerodynamics in a very different way to the short-wheelbase car used by title rival Williams. The changes also accommodated a slightly longer Tipo 052 variant of the 3-litre V-10 engine, a truly special 845-horsepower powerplant that was capable of spinning to a spine-tingling 19,000 rpm.

Launch Slideshow

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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229
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  One of the most significant Formula One Cars of all time | The Michael Schumacher 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA | Chassis 229

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Chassis 229 is by far the most successful of the six F2003-GAs that were built, and is one of only four Schumacher-era Ferrari Formula 1 chassis with five wins or more in a World Championship winning season. Schumacher raced it nine times and claimed five wins during that hard-fought campaign, when the German veteran faced down the challenge from young guns such as Montoya and Räikkönen. Presenting today as one of the most significant and historic cars from a golden period in the Scuderia’s history, chassis 229 has been awarded Ferrari Classiche’s “Red Book” Certification and has been recently overhauled in 2022 at the Maranello factory. Its legendary 3-litre V-10 engine has been run for only 148 miles since then, and all the major components—including the gearbox, clutch and hydraulic system—have covered only a small percentage of their current lifecycle, as it is documented in the “Current Car Status” data sheet provided by Ferrari and available on file.

Not only did chassis 229 play the crucial role in powering Michael Schumacher to his sixth title—a total that took him past the long-standing record of five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio—it was also the most influential chassis in helping Ferrari to win its historic 13th Constructors’ Championship. To own a Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix car of any generation is a rare and precious privilege; to have the chance to purchase one of the most successful Prancing Horse-badged Formula 1 cars from the team’s most dominant era is a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

* Pole position
** Fastest race lap