While some in the F1 world may dismiss Lewis Hamilton’s career and sporting achievements, his real-world exploits have not gone unnoticed. Recently, Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes W4 went under the hammer at an auction hosted by RM Sotheby’s in Las Vegas. The W4 fetched a record $18.8 million USD. It is uncommon for a modern F1 car to command such a high price, and even more exceptional for a driver linked to the car to still be actively competing in F1.

The W4 propelled Hamilton to his first victory for Mercedes at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix. It has now become the second most expensive F1 car sold thus far, following another Mercedes F1 car that sold for $30 million USD back in 2013. That particular car, the 1954 Mercedes W196R, belonged to the grand prix racing maestro, Juan Manuel Fangio.

The third most expensive F1 car ever sold was piloted by Michael Schumacher. Schumi’s 2003 F2003 fetched $14.8 million USD at an auction held in Switzerland last year. One might assume that Ayrton Senna’s McLaren would be the most expensive ever sold, but that’s not the case. His 1993 MP4/8A chassis, which won the Monaco Grand Prix, sold at a 2018 auction for $7 million USD.

The impeccable provenance of the Mercedes W4, intertwined with one of the most highly decorated F1 drivers of all time, creates a fervor unlike any other seen before, both in the past and present.