Mercedes-Benz

LEWIS HAMILTON’s historic car which he won his first F1 race at Mercedes with has gone up for sale.Hamilton, 38, won the first of his six titles with the Brackley-based constructor in 2014, with his grand total now standing at seven.
The car Lewis Hamilton won his first F1 race with Mercedes in has gone up for saleCredit: The Mega Agency
Hamilton won his first race with the constructor in 2013Credit: Getty
The eye-watering price of the W04 has been revealedCredit: The Mega Agency
But the year before in 2013, Hamilton won his first-ever race with Mercedes in the W04 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Now the car is going up for sale under auctioneers RM Sotheby’s at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It is the first Hamilton-driven Mercedes F1 car to be offered for public sale.
However, to buy the car fans will need to reach very deep into their pockets.
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The pre-estimate price of the car is set between £8.2million and £12.3m.
Shelby Myers, Global Head of Private Sales, RM Sotheby’s said: “The Mercedes W196, which sold for $29.6m (£24.3m), remains the most valuable Formula One car ever sold.
“However, it’s the Mercedes-Benz Uhlenhaut Coupe that fetched $142m (£117m), 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.”
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Hamilton won his first race with Mercedes in the W04Credit: AFP
He triumphed in the 2013 Hungarian Grand PrixCredit: EPA
The statement added: “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.
“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 collectables in the foreseeable future.”
Hamilton has won 82 races with Mercedes and won 21 with former employer McLaren to take his total to a record 103 wins.
He is back in action at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend as he remains in the hunt for a first race victory since 2021.
That did not stop the Brit from signing a new bumper £100m-a-year contract at the team for the next two years.
Championship leader Max Verstappen could win the drivers title this weekend after Red Bull won the constructors at the Japanese GP.
Hamilton’s old car will be up for sale at the Las Vegas Grand PrixCredit: The Mega Agency
It has a pre-estimate value of up to £12.3millionCredit: The Mega Agency
Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year More

LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed that he has no plans to have kids.The 38-year-old signed a £100million contract extension with Mercedes in August.
Lewis Hamilton recently signed a new deal with MercedesCredit: Rex
Hamilton’s new deal has seen him commit to the Silver Arrows until the end of the 2025 season, by which time he will be 40.
The British seven-time F1 world champion was asked whether he’s considered having kids.
But at this point, he feels he is too focused on his career to do so.
He said: “Not at the moment, no.
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“I don’t have time for that – I enjoy being an uncle!
“I haven’t decided on this big step yet. I still have goals with the racing car – and everything has to take a back seat.
“I want to do my job 100 per cent. Of course, you have to find the necessary balance with your private life and make compromises.
“But fortunately that day hasn’t come yet.”
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Hamilton was also asked if he feels he could ever come out of retirement after he eventually gives it up, like Michael Schumacher did.
He added: “That will not happen to me. When the chapter is over, that’s when it’s over.
“I can’t imagine standing in the paddock or in the garage – without then getting into a car.
“But as I’ve said before: never say never.”
Hamilton is third in the drivers’ championship despite Mercedes’ struggles this season, having overtaken Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
He is 75 points ahead of his team-mate George Russell, and could even have his sights set on catching second placed Red Bull Sergio Perez.
The Mexican is 33 points clear of Hamilton, despite his vastly superior car.
Perez is a staggering 173 points behind his team-mate Max Verstappen, who is on the verge of sealing his third world championship.
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Hamilton and Co are back in action this weekend, when the F1 roadshow heads to Qatar.
The Mercedes star won the last time an F1 race was staged in Qatar in 2021, with last year’s event having been axed due to the World Cup.
Hamilton, 38, has far out-performed team-mate George Russell this seasonCredit: Getty More

LEWIS HAMILTON has hinted that he didn’t read his big-money contract and now has a “love-hate” relationship with Formula One.The seven-time world champion penned a two-year deal at Mercedes worth £100million in August.
Lewis Hamilton has revealed he has a unique feeling towards F1Credit: Splash
His improved contract means he will have a place on the grid in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Before signing the deal, there was speculation that Hamilton could move to Ferrari or retire.
But instead the 38-year-old will be racing beyond his 40th birthday.
Hamilton has revealed that he didn’t realise his passion for F1 but maintained he’s got an odd relationship with competing.
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He told outlet Blick: “I have to admit that I underestimated my love for this sport.
“But it’s become a love-hate story. There are days when I would prefer not to get into the cockpit.
“The duels with my team-mate George Russell also give me motivation. You always have to be wide-awake.”
Asked if he is aware of what is in his new Mercedes deal, Hamilton replied: “Of course. But it’s over 200 pages or a damn book. And that takes you days.
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“There are so many details about my promotional activities. 
“I’m in a fortunate position with Toto Wolff. He is respected and admired by everyone. It’s easy to negotiate with him and that makes him a great leader.
“This isn’t the first time the two of us have discussed and haggled over details for hours.
“Always under the motto: From Thursday to Sunday I belong exclusively to Formula One.”
Hamilton is third in this year’s standings despite not winning a race ahead of this weekend’s Qatar GP. More

MAX VERSTAPPEN could do an F1 first this weekend in the Qatar Grand Prix – by winning the title on a Saturday.While the previous championships have all been decided on Sunday’s race day, the Red Bull ace has the possibility of wrapping up his third consecutive title at the sprint race.
Max Verstappen is on the verge of making F1 historyCredit: Rex
Verstappen has won 13 of the 15 races in 2023 and is 177 points clear of his teammate Sergio Perez, who is second in the championship.
It means he will be crowned champion on Saturday if he finishes sixth, for three points, even if Perez wins the 30-minute race.
But does it matter if he wins it on Saturday or not? It has some people divided.
Given his performances at the start of the season – or to be precise his rivals’ failure to match his own results – it quickly became inevitable that he would win the title.
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We also knew it was a possibility that it would be done so on a Saturday sprint race, given the structure of the calendar, with sprint races loaded towards the end of the season in an attempt to prolong any potential title fight.
We have three of the six sprint races remaining in Qatar, Austin and Brazil with all three coming in the space of four races, only Mexico is a usual F1 weekend.
The whole concept of the shorter sprint races is to sell extra tickets for the Saturday, plus also secure more TV viewers.
Knowing that he could win the title on Saturday should lead to an increase in both of those numbers, although quite how many will attend in Doha this week remains to be seen.
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However, I wonder how it fits with F1’s traditional fans, now knowing that the title could be won not during an actual grands prix.
I appreciate this could be a moot point, but it does matter to some given the historical element. Almost like winning a Test match victory in a T20 match.

Furthermore, it opens up the debate as to why the races in Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Austin and Sao Paulo are worth more than say Silverstone or Monza, for example.
I respect F1’s decision to introduce the sprint races and understand their rationale for doing so.
But the prospect of a driver being crowned champion after a 30-minute procession around a car park in the desert, leaves me feeling rather cold.

TOTO WOLFF is likely to be in Qatar after skipping the Japanese GP after undergoing knee surgery.
The Mercedes boss skipped the race in Suzuka partly due to the operation – and because he struggles with jet lag, but should be back in the garage in Doha.
It comes as he faces mounting pressure to turn his team’s fortunes around after Lewis Hamilton claimed in Japan the car was just like last year’s to drive.
Toto Wolff is likely to return for QatarCredit: Reuters
RENAULT group chief executive Luca de Meo visited the Alpine team’s factory in Enstone last week to deliver a rallying call after months of upheaval at the team.
De Meo delivered a rousing speech to the factory, including drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly while staff after the team’s engine division in Viry-Châtillon in France, joined by video link.
De Meo is hoping to restore some much-needed faith in the team after former Alpine F1 CEO Laurent Rosso was moved on along with team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane.
Alpine are adrift in sixth place in the constructors’ championship, 88 points behind McLaren.

MOTO GP are reporting a healthy increase in numbers of fans in the grandstands and watching the sport on TV. The sport’s bosses say TV figures are up 20 percent on 2022.
What is more impressive is their sprint races have seen attendances on Saturdays increase by a whopping 51 percent in the opening 12 races.
Moto GP are reporting an increase in attendances and viewershipCredit: Alamy
CAL CRUTCHLOW picked up TWO long-lap penalties in two days at the Japanese MotoGP.
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The Brit was entering as a wild-card for Yamaha but looked rusty as he picked up the penalties for exceeding track limits and then turning into his pitbox too early and going the wrong way around the entry sign.
Crutchow, who was 13th, said: “I’ve done two races and two long laps, so that must be a first!” More

PUNDIT Anthony Davidson believes George Russell is inwardly raging as Lewis Hamilton is the main man at Mercedes.In the recent Singapore and Japan Grand Prixs, the British drivers both battled hard on the tracks.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been involved in on-track battles in recent racesCredit: Getty
They nearly collided in Japan at the weekendCredit: Splash
Russell sustained tyre damage and spun off in Singapore as he raced Hamilton for thirdCredit: Twitter @SkySportsF1
At the Marina Bay circuit, Russell pushed Hamilton for the last spot on the podium during the final lap.
But the seven-time world champion held off pressure before his understudy crashed.
And Sunday’s race at Suzuka saw similar when both fought hard on lap six and nearly collided.
Again, Hamilton came out on top to finish in fifth with his team-mate two places behind.
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According to Davidson, the veteran has earned his spot as No1 at the Silver Arrows but it must be angering Russell.
He explained on Sky Sports’ F1 podcast: “There’s definitely a hierarchy in that team.
“You know, Lewis has earned that status in that team as a seven-time world champion and George can’t argue against that.
“George is still the understudy and he’s doing a very good job on those occasions where he’s got the speed over Lewis to really take the fight to him.
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“But he’s doing it in such a George Russell polite way, which is quite humorous to watch, because I know inside the car, he’ll be fuming and steaming.
And that’s why we see the near misses, the drivers coming, almost to blows, almost to contact, but then he’s a good boy on the radio, he’s very British about it.
“And there are layers to him, to the annoyance, I think. It always comes over as, ‘I’m okay with this, but if you could please, very thankfully, let me through with the next couple of opportunities, it’d be much appreciated.’
“And we’d hear maybe a bit more vocal if things were different. But I think for now, I think he knows where he is in the team.”
Russell outscored Hamilton in his debut season at Mercedes last year.
But this term it is the 38-year-old who is ahead by 75 points with six races to go. More

LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed a stunning helmet design for the Japanese Grand Prix.The seven-time F1 champion is no stranger to striking helmet designs, and fans have also been left impressed with his latest head piece.

Lewis Hamilton unveiled a stunning all-chrome helmet designCredit: EPA
Fans are convinced the helmet design is inspired by Daft PunkCredit: Getty
Hamilton, 38, has gone for an all-chrome look in a week where he was also spotted wearing a red and white polka-dot Super Mario hat during a trip to Universal Studios Super Nintendo World in Osaka.
The dazzling design saw fans draw comparisons with French house music duo Daft Punk, with their signature look being chromed-out helmets.
Reacting to pictures of the helmet, one fan said: “The Daft Punk helmet.”
A second wrote: “This must be Daft Punk inspired, mega!”
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“So daft punk is a trio now,” commented a third.
A fourth remarked: “Daft Hamilton or Lewis Punk?”
Another typed: “Absolutely astonishing 🔥looks fire.”
A sixth joked: “Lewis HamilTRON.”
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While another added: “Lewis with that swag, always.”
However, while Hamilton may win the award for best helmet, he was far off the pace of a resurgent Max Verstappen in qualifying.
Verstappen’s record-breaking 10-race winning streak came to an end in Singapore last weekend, but he looks to be back to his best after claiming pole at the Suzuka circuit.
Meanwhile, Hamilton was only seventh-quickest, with his lap time over a second slower than championship leader Verstappen.
Hamilton played down any chance of winning this weekend’s race following a “bad day” during Friday’s two practice sessions.
He said: “It was a really bad day, to be honest. A real struggle out there.
“[We were] a long way off, two seconds off in the first session and over a second off in the second. We’re working away at just trying to fix the car’s balance.
“We’ll work on it overnight and turn it around for tomorrow, but we definitely won’t be winning this weekend!
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“If I in particular can move further up the order so I can at least back up George, who did a not-such-a-bad lap… yeah, tough one.”
The Brit’s former team, McLaren, put in impressive P2 and P3 results in qualifying, with rookie Oscar Piastri planting his car on the front row on his first time at the track with Lando Norris coming in third.
Daft Punk’s signature look is their chromed out helmetsCredit: Getty
Hamilton is no stranger to striking helmet designsCredit: Rex
Hamilton laboured to P7 in Japanese Grand Prix qualifyingCredit: Splash
Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year More