One of the very first Formula One cars tested by then 21-year-old Lewis Hamilton upon his signing with McLaren-Mercedes in fall of 2006
$3.5 Million Worth Lewis Hamilton-driven McLaren F1 car up for auction
announcement to join McLaren-Mercedes in November 2006, however, McLaren records indicate his internal debut started slightly earlier.
When only 21 years old, Hamilton tested chassis 21A-03 in October of 2006 at both Elvington and Jerez in consecutive weeks. This chassis was tested once more in November 2006 and once in January 2007 before being retired from competition use.
Chassis 21A-03 was further retained for many years by McLaren, as evidenced by a plate in the car’s tub. In 2019, chassis 21A-03 was fully restored by McLaren Racing Heritage.
The car is accompanied by a McLaren Certificate of Authenticity outlining its race use for the McLaren-Mercedes team in addition to confirming its restoration.
The car was restored to functional specification, retaining its engine, gearbox, onboard computer, and steering wheel. With proper race support, this MP4-21 could be used in on-track exhibitions or in vintage racing.
With the global popularity of Formula One growing substantially of late, race-used chassis with known provenance have become quite sought-after among collectors.
This factory-restored example, with running gear and known history—and having been one of the very first Formula One cars ever driven by Lewis Hamilton—is no exception.
With Hamilton winning his first World Championship only one year after his debut in 2007, his early testing experience in the Adrian Newey-designed MP4-21 certainly played a part in his F1 development.
A rare offering by any measure, extremely few documented Lewis Hamilton Formula One cars exist for collectors outside of Factory collections. Chassis no.
21A-03 represents a wonderful opportunity to purchase a restored, usable McLaren-Mercedes team car—from the final year of Adrian Newey’s technical directorship and driven in period testing by Lewis Hamilton in his first and Juan Pablo Montoya in his final year of Formula 1 competition—with boundless potential, and unlimited thrills, in store for its next caretaker.
