Latest news with #RubensBarrichello
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Michael Schumacher's 2001 Monaco -winning Ferrari breaks record as it sells for whopping £13.4MILLION at auction
LEGENDARY racing driver Michael Schumacher's Monaco-winning Ferrari has sold for a staggering £13.4million. Schumi raced the F2001 to victory twice in 2001 - including the famous Monaco Grand Prix. 3 3 3 Chassis number 211 made its final appearance at the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix where the racing legend qualified on pole position and took top step on the podium. The icon went on to win the title that year - his fourth of seven - with a records points haul ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello. The F2001's dominance also saw Ferrari take its 11th contructors' title. The historic motor was sold by RM Sotheby's for an eye-watering £13.43million. It marks the most expensive of Schumacher's Formula One cars to be sold at auction. The Ferrari F2001 was a cornerstone of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari's record-setting, multiple Formula 1 World Championship-winning pomp at the turn of the 21st Century," the car's listing reads. "Chassis 211 holds the remarkable distinction of being the only Ferrari aboard which the German won both the Monaco Grand Prix and Drivers' title in the same season, as the Scuderia clinched the 2001 Constructors' crown. "A two-time Grand Prix winner with a brace of World Championships to its name, chassis 211 is among the most significant of modern-day race cars." MICHAEL Schumacher's life was hanging by a thread 12 years ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries. The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain. Formula One's Highest Earners Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel. Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow. He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations. At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed. At the time, medics said Schumacher was likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours as his body and mind recovered. But the coma ended up lasting 250 days - more than eight months. After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment. Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status. Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him. In 2019, it was said that Schumacher was set to undergo breakthrough stem cell therapy in a bid to regenerate and rebuild his nervous system. Renowned France cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche, who had operated on him previously, was set to carry out the treatment that would see cells from his heart go to his brain. Following the treatment at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, he was said to be "conscious", although few other details were given about his state.
Forbes
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Brawn GP's 2009 Championship-Winning F1 Car Sold For $3.8 Million At Miami Grand Prix
The 2009 championship-winning Brawn GP Formula 1 car was sold this weekend at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. The Brawn BGP001 chassis 001/01 is one of the only three cars ever built by the team that year and is the only Brawn vehicle to be sold publicly, fetching $3.8 million. The auction was hosted by Bonhams in collaboration with South Florida Motorsports, the organizers of the Miami Grand Prix, and it took place on Saturday evening right in front of the Miami podium at Hard Rock Stadium. 'This car represents the ultimate Formula 1 fairy tale – a revolutionary design that redefined what was possible,' said Louis Frankel, Miami's head of sales for Bonham|Cars, ahead of the auction. 'Chassis 001/01 is a piece of motorsport history, and its offering at auction is sure to captivate collectors worldwide. We are honoured to present this unrepeatable opportunity over the Miami Grand Prix, a stage befitting its legendary status.' Chassis 001/01 was used by Rubens Barrichello in all but seven races in 2009 and it was then gifted to world champion Jenson Button at the end of the season. It is currently equipped with period-correct Bridgestone slick tires and has its race-used 2.4-liter Mercedes-Benz V8 engine but lacks gearbox internals. Brawn GP has one of the most incredible stories in the history of the sport. It's the only team to have won both the constructors' and drivers' championships in its debut season, having secured both titles in its only year in F1 in 2009 with a minuscule budget compared with its rivals. A year earlier, in 2008, Honda made a decision to pull the plug on its F1 team which had been running since 2006. The global financial crisis and the lack of much success on the track forced the Japanese marque's hand. But the struggling team was lucky to have Ross Brawn on board during this tough time. He was brought in by senior manager Nick Fry to serve as the team's technical director. Brawn was already a big name in motorsport, having led TWR-Jaguar to victory in the Sports Car World Championship in 1991. He then moved to Benetton where he oversaw Michael Schumacher's first two world titles before joining the German legend at Ferrari and witnessing the team secure six titles in a row. As the clock was ticking down and the new season was fast approaching without an owner in sight, Brawn and Fry decided to take a huge gamble to rescue the team, purchasing Honda's F1 operation for a dirt-cheap price of £1 and rebranding it Brawn GP. Even though they purchased it for nothing, they still needed funding and deals to get the team back on its feet. They managed to secure a last-minute deal with Mercedes-Benz for engines and signed on a few brave sponsors willing to take such a big risk. Brawn was able to retain Button and Barrichello's services, and while they had hardly any time to test the cars before the 2009 season began, they put their faith in Brawn and his newly formed squad. Fortune then smiled upon them when engineer Saneyuki Managawa found a loophole in the 2009 regulations that allowed them to build a double diffuser. They soon knew that they created a beast of a car when they later took the BGP01 chassis 001 - the one sold at auction - to the track to be tested by Button. In the 2009 season opener in Melbourne, Brawn GP stunned everyone with a one-two finish headed by Button. It wasn't a stroke of luck however as the Brit went on to clinch his second victory of the season in a rain-shortened race in Malaysia, finishing 22.722 seconds ahead of Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber. After securing third in the following round in China, Button brought home four straight wins from Bahrain to Turkey. And while those were his last wins of the season with ten races still to go, Barrichello netted two more victories for the team. Thanks to 15 podium finishes throughout the season, the outfit claimed its sole constructors' championship with 172 points, beating Red Bull by 18.5 points. Button took home his and the team's first and only drivers' title with 95 points - 11 points clear of Sebastian Vettel. Brawn GP, the team that was born from the ashes of Honda and achieved the unthinkable, was then sold to Mercedes at the end of the 2009 season.
New York Times
23-03-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
F1 Chinese Grand Prix live updates: Follow latest from the second race of 2025 season
It took 18 months and $450 million back in 2004, to turn marshland on the outskirts of Shanghai into China's Formula One showpiece. The fastest lap from that first race still holds today, although it was Michael Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, Rubens Barrichello, who took pole position and that inaugural race win. The fastest lap in last year's grand prix set by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, was almost six seconds off Schumacher's pace. With a resurfaced track, it's already looking much quicker this year. As for the unique layout, it is designed to resemble the Chinese symbol 'shang', meaning upwards. The opening two turns are iconic, but the drivers prefer Turns 7 and 8 where things get much quicker. Meanwhile, the straight between Turns 13 and 14 runs at 1.2km and is one of the longest of the season. After four DRS zones in Melbourne, we are back down to two this weekend. Key circuit facts include: Circuit length: 5.451km (3.39 miles) (3.39 miles) Laps: 56 Lap record: 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher, 2004) (Michael Schumacher, 2004) First GP: 2004 There is much more to read on this Shanghai track with Madeline Coleman's circuit breakdown, which you can enjoy right here.
New York Times
22-03-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
F1 Chinese Grand Prix live updates: Follow latest from today's sprint race and qualifying
It took 18 months and $450 million back in 2004, to turn marshland on the outskirts of Shanghai into China's Formula One showpiece. The fastest lap from that first race still holds today, although it was Michael Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, Rubens Barrichello, who took pole position and that inaugural race win. The fastest lap in last year's grand prix set by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, was almost six seconds off Schumacher's pace. With a resurfaced track, it's already looking much quicker this year. As for the unique layout, it is designed to resemble the Chinese symbol 'shang', meaning upwards. The opening two turns are iconic, but the drivers prefer Turns 7 and 8 where things get much quicker. Meanwhile, the straight between Turns 13 and 14 runs at 1.2km and is one of the longest of the season. After four DRS zones in Melbourne, we are back down to two this weekend. Key circuit facts include: Circuit length: 5.451km (3.39 miles) (3.39 miles) Laps: 56 Lap record: 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher, 2004) (Michael Schumacher, 2004) First GP: 2004 There is much more to read on this Shanghai track with Madeline Coleman 's circuit breakdown, which you can enjoy right here.
New York Times
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
F1 Chinese Grand Prix live updates: Follow latest from FP1 and Sprint Qualifying today
It took 18 months and $450 million back in 2004, to turn marshland on the outskirts of Shanghai into China's Formula One showpiece. The fastest lap from that first race still holds today, although it was Michael Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, Rubens Barrichello, who took pole position and that inaugural race win. The fastest lap in last year's grand prix set by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, was almost six seconds off Schumacher's pace. As for the unique layout, it is designed to resemble the Chinese symbol 'shang', meaning upwards. The opening two turns are iconic, but the drivers prefer Turns 7 and 8 where things get much quicker. Meanwhile, the straight between Turns 13 and 14 runs at 1.2km and is one of the longest of the season. After four DRS zones in Melbourne, we are back down to two this weekend. Key circuit facts include: Circuit length: 5.451km (3.39 miles) (3.39 miles) Laps: 56 Lap record: 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher, 2004) (Michael Schumacher, 2004) First GP: 2004 There is much more to read on this Shanghai track with Madeline Coleman's circuit breakdown, which you can enjoy right here.
