Lewis Hamilton won his first race for Mercedes at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix. It was his first season with the team, and now, 10 years later, the W04 is up at the auction. Reports suggest that it might hit an amount of $15,000,000 and can further be boosted.
The W04 was the first car that kickstarted Mercedes’ domination in F1 with Hamilton. Interestingly, the Hungary GP win was the only win the Mercedes star claimed that season. This, interestingly, increases the value of the car even more.
2022 🇭🇺 Preparation
2013🇭🇺
Hamilton wins again in Hungary, first ever time in a Mercedes. Raikkonen P2 for Lotus. Vettel finished near his rivals, Raikkonen and Alonso in P3. pic.twitter.com/Yn1tR8j6Pb— F1 in the 2010’s🏆🏁🚦 (@F1inthe2010s1) July 26, 2022
Given the portfolio the car already has, it is believed that the car would fetch a decent amount when put on auction. It will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on November 17th during the first-ever Las Vegas GP.
Lewis Hamilton’s W04 is expected to reach $15,000,000 at auction
The W04 is also the only modern-era car that is not owned by Mercedes. On this, Monarch on X informed, “The first Mercedes Formula 1 car that Lewis Hamilton claimed a race victory in is hitting auction at Sotheby’s on November 17th during the weekend of the first ever Las Vegas Grand Prix.”
“As Hamilton is one of the biggest stars in F1, this car is expected to reach $10-15 million. It is the only Mercedes F1 car from the modern era not owned by Mercedes – which further adds to the value of the car. This is the car that kick-started the legendary career of Lewis Hamilton,” further stated the post on X.
@LewisHamilton first win with mercedes in Hungary GP in 2013 😊 pic.twitter.com/B4ji7JRbEo
— . (@racingwiej) July 16, 2016
Admittedly, this car was the first car that the seven-time world champion tasted his first win at the Brackley-based team. Little did he know that the following years would see him claim six F1 world championships and nearly a hundred wins.
The W04 paved the way for Mercedes dominance
Even though the 2013 F1 season saw a win from Lewis Hamilton and two wins from Nico Rosberg, they started the following 2014 season with a bang. Mercedes was the only dominant team from that year onwards until Red Bull and Max Verstappen stepped up in 2021.
In those years, the Silver Arrows claimed back-to-back eight Constructors’ championships from 2014 to 2021. Meanwhile, Hamilton claimed F1 titles in 2014 and 2015. Rosberg won the 2016 title.
From there, the British driver won back-to-back four championships from 2017 to 2020. It was one of the lengthiest dominance by an F1 team, and Silver Arrows fans find it hard to forget those days when the W Series challengers rocked the circuits.
