Once upon a time, Japan at the height of the economic bubble was the best place for retired F1 cars, when a large number of retired F1 cars were sold to Japan, and to this day, Japan should also have the most retired F1 cars (goods).
If you had the chance, would you buy a "former world champion" to go home, and you would definitely not hesitate to collect this car, after all, this car is extremely significant. On November 17, 2023, RM Sotheby's held an auction at Wynn Las Vegas. At the meeting, a Mercedes F1 W04 car with chassis code 04 was sold by a mysterious guest for 18.8 million US dollars (equivalent to 1 yuan).$2.8 billion) to become the most expensive modern F1 car ever built, as it was driven by Lewis Hamilton and won his first trophy with the Mercedes-AMG team
Pictured: The meaning and value of the Mercedes F1 W04 race car must not be viewed in terms of the usual view of the commodity. Since we can't see or touch it, let's "satisfy our cravings" from the picture.
Pictured: Behind the wheel, there is the word Lewis, which proves that the car was once driven by Louis Hamilton, so it is very collectible. If you switch to a W04 driven by teammate Nick Roseburg, it might be worth a little less than Hamilton's.
The reason for this sky-high price is that the car was used as a car for Louis Hamilton in the 2013 season, competing in 14 of the 19 rounds. It was also the first car to win the championship since Hamilton joined Mercedes-AMG Petronas in 2012.
Pictured: It was the Mercedes F1 W04 and Hamilton's top-notch driving skills that enabled him to claim his first F1 title, far ahead of Kimi R Kikk Nen and Sebastian Vettel.
In addition to the symbolic meaning, the car has three practical meanings. The first is this carThe powertrain of the original car has been retained, including Mercedes-Benz 2 model number FO 108FA 4-liter V8 naturally aspirated engine and a 7-speed sequenced gearbox jointly developed by XTRAC and Mercedes-AMG. The second is this carNot by Mercedes, Hamilton, or Torger Christian"toto" wolff(Kazuo Tautau, Principal and Executive Director of the Mercedes-AMG Racing Team).AllYesThe only Mercedes F1 car sold to the public, and allows for free trading. Thirdly, Mercedes F1The W04 race car is Mercedes' swan song in the era of pure fuel V8 self-priming, because from the 2014 season, F1 cars have been fully V6 hybrid.
Pictured: Louis Hamilton switched to the Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid in his second year with Mercedes-AMG in 2014, which is a bit of a shame because we don't hear the V8 engine, but it's a no-brainer.
Figure: In response to the trend of environmental protection, F1 revised the rules in the 2014 season, clearly stipulating that all future F1 cars will use a hybrid system composed of V6 engine + motor. That's why Mercedes used the W05 Hybrid for the 2014 season. Since then, we have never heard the "roar" of pure fuel self-priming engines. So there is also a reason why the W04 car can be sold at such a sky-high price.
Now that we're talking about the Mercedes F1 W04 car, let's talk about this car. First of all, in terms of aerodynamics, the design of the front end is basically the same as that of the W03 car, with some subtle changes to the side panels, side box and rear bonnet on the front wing, and even three more spoilers under the rearview mirrors. In addition, due to the revision of the competition rules in the 2013 season, the dual DRS system originally installed on the W03 car was removed from the W04. As for the chassis, the W04 uses Penske's shock absorbers, the suspension form is a front push rod and a rear tie rod, the position of the Brembo rear brake caliper is also slightly rearward, and the shape of the wheel rim has also changed.
Pictured: Mercedes W03 and W04 have not changed much in terms of aerodynamics. (Source: F1 fansite).
Photo: When the Mercedes W03 turns on the DRS, the ventilation ducts on the inside of the spoiler are opened, and the carbon fibre pipes (in yellow) direct the airflow to the front wings, causing them to stall slightly, which in turn increases the speed of the car. This technology was invented by the Mercedes-AMG team, which other teams considered very unfair and had the potential to lead to a new "arms race". In order to ensure fairness, F1 decided to change the rules in 2013 to prohibit the use of this technology.
In terms of power, as mentioned above, the W04 car is powered by a Mercedes-Benz FO 108F engine, which can output a maximum torque of 680Nm and a maximum power of 760PS+81PS when the KERS (kinetic energy ** system) is turned on.
Next, let's recall all the wonderful moments of this car. The early career of the W04 racing car can be described as a bad one. The biggest problem was the Pirelli tyres of the time, and the management of Mercedes' tyres.
Pictured: In the 2013 F1 season, Pirelli tires were one of the biggest points of controversy. But there was also a problem with the tyre management of the W04 car.
Coming to the British Grand Prix, Hamilton took pole position with Roseburg behind Hamilton. At the start of the race, Hammeton was arguably "far ahead", but on lap 8, Hammetton's W04 car had a puncture on its left rear tire while tackling Turn 4. In the end, Roseburg, which did not suffer a tire failure, was only 0A narrow margin of seven seconds overtook Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) to win Mercedes' second win of the season.
Pictured: Pirelli tyres have had a series of accidents at the British Grand Prix, largely due to the structure. Pirelli has adjusted the construction material of the tires from the original Kevlar and carbon fiber mixtures to steel belts. Although theoretically it is more resistant to high temperature and has greater strength, due to the actual operation, the temperature is easy to accumulate and rise, and the edge of the shoulder is the first to wear out, and delamination occurs. Therefore, when the car passes through Turn 4 of Silverstone, it is easy to have broken tires.
The Hungarian Grand Prix was the beginning of Hamilton's "gods". In qualifying, Hamilton took pole position and Roseburg started fourth. Entering the main race, Hamilton attacked quickly and won the championship by a huge margin. Lead Kimi R Kik Nen (Kimi Lagolen) 10938 seconds!
Despite the disadvantage, the W04 car laid a good foundation for the future of the team and Hamilton. The team went on to win eight Constructors' World Championships and six Drivers' World Championships (except for the 2016 season) in the 2014-2021 season.
So the car sold for a whopping $18.8 million after 10 years, and there was no problem at all. After all, this car means a lot to both Hamilton and Mercedes. I hope that after the owner buys it, he can occasionally return it to the track, so that we, the fans, can see the heroism of this car again.