A final bid of 500,000 Swiss francs and the lot found a buyer for the record sum of 13 million Swiss francs (€13.16 million) on Wednesday in Geneva.
And not just any lot since it is the Ferrari at the wheel of which Michael Schumacher was crowned world champion in 2003.
The "F2003-GA Chassis 229", with which the German driver won five races that season, recorded "a record price for a Formula 1 of the modern era", said the Sotheby's auctioneer, after knocking down the hammer.
That's almost double the previous record of $7.5 million held by another Ferrari car, also driven by the German champion, in the 2001 Formula 1 season. Wednesday's prize pool was estimated to be between $7.5 million and 9.5 million Swiss francs, but after hectic bidding, a buyer raised 500,000 francs all at once to win the lot.
SWITZERLAND - The most successful Ferrari driven by Michael Schumacher auctioned by Sotheby's in Geneva.
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— ECHOES OF THE DRC (@ViveCongo) November 6, 2022
"It is one of the Ferraris with the most victories in the history of the brand, so it is a very important car in the history of the automobile", explained Vincent Luzuy, of the branch which is occupies luxury car sales at Sotheby's, during the presentation of the racing car to journalists.
Five Grand Prix won that season
"It was developed by two engineers - Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn - who decided to have a slightly longer wheelbase to work on the aerodynamics," he said.
It was at the wheel of this car, introduced at the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix, that Schumacher won five victories that season, in Spain for its first outing and then in Austria, Canada, Italy and the United States. .
The car also took three pole positions, set three fastest laps in the race and two podiums in Monaco and France, allowing Schumacher to claim a sixth world championship title, breaking the record he then co-held with the Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio, while giving Ferrari its fifth consecutive Constructors' World Championship title.