Motor racing-McLaren to sell five F1 cars, all driven by champions and one by Brad Pitt

Formula One F1 - Singapore Grand Prix - Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore - September 17, 2023 McLaren's Lando Norris in action during the race REUTERS/Andy Chua

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - McLaren are selling ⁠five fully-functioning Formula One cars driven by champions, including Lewis Hamilton and the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna, with one ⁠also tested by Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.

The cars, to be sold through high-end dealer Tom Hartley Jr. and ‌expected to raise tens of millions of dollars, will be prepared by the reigning constructors' champions for their next owners.

Hartley Jr. also sold the collection of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and 20 road cars belonging to the late McLaren co-ownerMansour Ojjeh.

"We have decided to part with these iconic McLaren Formula One cars ​because we feel that having them simply sitting in storage is a disservice ⁠to what they represent," McLaren Racing CEO Zak ⁠Brown said in a statement on Sunday.

"These cars were built to be driven and raced, and we want to see them ⁠being ‌used and enjoyed. We believe that is the best way to keep our history alive and our heritage business active."

PITT DROVE ONE AFTER FILMING F1 MOVIE

The five span 32 years of McLaren history, starting with two MP4/6A cars (chassis numbers 04 ⁠and 07 with Honda V12 engines) raced by Austrian Gerhard Berger and tested ​by Senna during the 1991 title-winning campaign.

Chassis ‌04 finished second in a one-two at the San Marino Grand Prix with the McLarens lapping the entire field. ⁠Chassis 07 came second ​at McLaren's home British Grand Prix.Both have been in McLaren's possession ever since.

A 2012 McLaren MP4/27A (chassis 01) raced by 2009 world champion Jenson Button and tested by seven-times world champion Hamilton is also for sale.

Two cars raced exclusively by reigning champion Lando Norris in 2021 and 2023 complete the ⁠group.

The 2021 McLaren MCL35M took Norris to the podium in Imola, Monaco ​and Monza while the 2023 MCL37A-03 won successive races in Singapore and Japan and was tested post-season by a roster of drivers including Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri and Mick Schumacher, son of F1 great Michael.

The 2023 McLaren was driven by Pitt in a private test ⁠at Austin's Circuit of the Americas in June last year in connection with his starring role in "F1 the Movie" and is the most modern F1 car offered for sale to a private owner. Pitt reportedly took it up to a speed of 197mph (317kph).

"It is incredibly rare for a collector to have the opportunity to acquire race-driven Grand Prix cars directly from the manufacturer and team that ​built and campaigned them, and that makes this a very special offering," said Hartley.

"These five ⁠cars will be offered individually and there is no time pressure whatsoever. Our priority, and McLaren’s, is to find the right homes ​for them."

Although no prices were given, they are expected to range from 5 million ‌pounds ($6.7 million) to as much as 10 million.

A McLaren MP4-25A raced ​by Hamilton to victory in Turkey in 2010 sold for 4.8 million pounds in 2021 while a winning 2001 Ferrari raced by Michael Schumacher fetched $7.5 million in New York in 2017.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)

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一级方程式赛车（F1）——新加坡大奖赛——新加坡滨海湾街道赛道——2023年9月17日——迈凯伦车队的兰多·诺里斯在比赛中驰骋赛道 路透社/Andy Chua

伦敦，10 月 18 日（路透社）——迈凯伦正在出售五辆功能齐全的一级方程式赛车，这些赛车曾由包括刘易斯·汉密尔顿和已故巴西车手艾尔顿·塞纳在内的冠军车手驾驶，其中一辆还曾由好莱坞演员布拉德·皮特测试过。

这些赛车将通过高端经销商小汤姆·哈特利出售，预计将筹集数千万美元，并将由卫冕车队冠军为下一位车主做好准备。

小哈特利还出售了前 F1 掌门人伯尼·埃克莱斯顿的收藏品，以及已故迈凯伦车队共同所有人曼苏尔·奥杰的 20 辆公路汽车。

迈凯伦赛车首席执行官扎克·布朗周日在一份声明中表示：“我们决定出售这些标志性的迈凯伦一级方程式赛车，因为我们认为让它们仅仅闲置在仓库里是对它们所代表的意义的一种不尊重。”

“这些车的设计初衷就是为了驾驶和比赛，我们希望看到它们被使用和欣赏。我们相信这是传承历史、延续品牌活力的最佳方式。”

皮特在拍摄完F1电影后驾驶了一辆。

这五辆车跨越了迈凯伦 32 年的历史，从奥地利车手格哈德·伯格驾驶的两辆 MP4/6A 赛车（底盘编号 04 和 07，搭载本田 V12 发动机）开始，并在 1991 年赢得冠军的赛季中由塞纳进行了测试。

04号底盘赛车在圣马力诺大奖赛上获得亚军，迈凯伦车队包揽冠亚军，领先所有对手一圈。07号底盘赛车在迈凯伦的主场英国大奖赛上获得亚军。此后，这两辆赛车一直归迈凯伦所有。

一辆 2012 年迈凯伦 MP4/27A（底盘 01）赛车也正在出售，该车曾由 2009 年世界冠军简森·巴顿驾驶，并由七届世界冠军汉密尔顿测试过。

2021 年和 2023 年，卫冕冠军兰多·诺里斯将驾驶两辆专属赛车参赛，这两辆赛车也组成了该组阵容。

2021 年迈凯伦 MCL35M 帮助诺里斯在伊莫拉、摩纳哥和蒙扎登上领奖台，而 2023 年 MCL37A-03 则在新加坡和日本连续赢得比赛，并在赛季结束后由包括诺里斯的队友奥斯卡·皮亚斯特里和 F1 传奇人物迈克尔·舒马赫的儿子米克·舒马赫在内的一系列车手进行了测试。

去年六月，布拉德·皮特在奥斯汀美洲赛道进行了一次私人测试，试驾了2023款迈凯伦赛车，当时他正在拍摄电影《F1》。这辆赛车是目前出售给私人车主的最新款F1赛车。据报道，皮特驾驶这辆车达到了197英里/小时（317公里/小时）的速度。

哈特利说：“对于收藏家来说，能够直接从制造和参赛的制造商和车队那里获得参加过比赛的一级方程式赛车的机会极其罕见，这使得这次的收藏品非常特别。”

“这五辆车将单独出售，没有任何时间压力。我们和迈凯伦的首要任务是为它们找到合适的归宿。”

虽然没有给出具体价格，但预计价格将在 500 万英镑（670 万美元）到 1000 万英镑之间。

2010 年汉密尔顿驾驶的迈凯伦 MP4-25A 在土耳其赢得比赛，2021 年以 480 万英镑的价格售出；而 2001 年迈克尔·舒马赫驾驶的法拉利赛车赢得比赛，2017 年在纽约拍出了 750 万美元的价格。

（艾伦·鲍德温报道，埃德·奥斯蒙德编辑）

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