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Autosport
Autosport
Sport
Matt Kew

Hamilton's first F1 race-winning Mercedes to go on auction at Las Vegas GP

Following his seven-year stint with McLaren, Hamilton joined the Silver Arrows for 2013 and has led the team to its record-breaking title success while winning a further six drivers’ crowns.

Although Mercedes excelled upon the arrival of 1.6-litre turbo hybrid V6s in 2014, Hamilton scored a win for the team during their first year together. He triumphed in the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The car he drove at Budapest, Mercedes W04 chassis #4, is up for auction with RM Sotheby’s and will headline its Las Vegas sale on 17 November - the Saturday of the F1 weekend.

W04-04 is the first Hamilton-driven Mercedes F1 car to be offered for public sale. It carries an auction estimate of £8.2-12.4million ($10-15m).

RM Sotheby’s global head of private sales Shelby Myers said: “In the world of automotive great-ness, few marques match the allure of the Mercedes Silver Arrows.

“The Mercedes W196, which sold for $29.6million, remains the most valuable Formula 1 car ever sold. However, it's the Mercedes-Benz Uhlenhaut Coupe that fetched $142million, cementing the Silver Arrows' place in history books as one of the world's most valuable and recognisable brands.

“Now, adding to the legacy of the Silver Arrows, we introduce the W04 – a car whose significance cannot be overstated.

“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.

2013 Mercedes Formula 1 car of Lewis Hamilton (Photo by: Uncredited)

"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 fore-seeable future.”

Also of note among the lots is Tom Brady's final game-worn Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL jersey, which is predicted to fetch up to £2m.

This weekend RM Sotheby’s is also selling a vast array of significant trophies, race suits, helmets, steering wheels and other memorabilia from the private collection of 1992 F1 world champion Nigel Mansell.

Highlights from the lot list include three GP winner’s trophies from 1986, three from 1987, plus his second place pot from the 1992 Monaco GP, notable for the famed lead battle between Mansell and McLaren racer Ayrton Senna.

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