05 October 2023 , 15:39
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Lewis Hamilton fans will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy a Formula 1 car which forms part of the Brit's extraordinary story in the sport.
The Mercedes W04, raced by Hamilton in his first season with the team in 2013, is to go under the hammer next month. Auctioneers RM Sotheby's says it is the only Mercedes F1 car driven by the 38-year-old to be put on sale to the general public.
But it will take more than change found down the back of the sofa to get your hands on it. Estimates predict it will be sold for between £8-12million when the auction takes place in Las Vegas on November 17, ahead of F1's first race in the city for four decades.
The W04 is one of the minority of F1 cars built by Mercedes during Hamilton's time with the team which has not delivered the world championship. At the time, it was still a young team working towards achieving its ambitions.
It was the following year in 2014, the start of the sport's hybrid era, that Mercedes began to dominate and Hamilton won the first of his six title with the teams, and second of seven overall to date.
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But it was during that 2013 season that the team showed glimpses of what it could achieve. Hamilton won his first race with Mercedes at that year's Hungarian Grand Prix, while team-mate Nico Rosberg tasted victory twice himself.
Lewis Hamilton's 2013 Mercedes W04 car will be auctioned off (RM Sotheby's)Sotheby's global head of private sales Shelby Myers said: "Driven by Formula 1's most successful driver and sporting icon, Lewis Hamilton, this car delivered his very first win in a Mercedes F1 car, signalling the beginning of the marque's most dominant period: the Hamilton-Mercedes dynasty.
"This pairing can only be compared to Jordan and the Bulls, Brady and the Patriots, or Messi and Argentina. Given the unparalleled lineage and being the sole example outside of Mercedes' origination publicly available, the pairing of Lewis and the W04 elevates it beyond just a Formula 1 car. This undeniable piece could emerge as one of the most coveted collectibles in the foreseeable future."
Also among the lots up for sale at the same time will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey worn by Tom Brady in his final NFL game in January this year. While more affordable than Hamilton's car, it is still expected to fetch a pretty penny with a guide price of £1.2-2m.