F1: Michael Schumacher's Iconic Ferrari F2001b to be Auctioned in Monterey on August 16

Michael Schumacher's iconic Ferrari will be put up for auction later this month. After winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in the F2001b (chassis 215), Schumacher dominated the rest of the 2002 season in the same machine. After making up for early contact with Juan Pablo Montoya, seven-time World Champion Schumacher took Ferrari to their 150th F1 pole position in the Malaysian Grand Prix, where he ultimately finished third. The German driver then achieved an additional ten victories during that year, following the introduction of the Scuderia's 2002 machinery, so securing his fifth Drivers' title. The F2001b model manufactured by Ferrari is scheduled to be made available for purchase on August 16th during an auction organised by Sotheby's Sealed in Monterey. Last year, a Schumacher F1 Ferrari, specifically an F2003-GA model, was sold at a Sotheby's auction for a staggering amount of USD 14.9 million. The F2003-GA  set a new record for the highest price ever achieved for the sale of an F1 car.

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Ferrari F2001b: Competitive History (Chassis 215)

For the first two races of the 2002 season, Schumacher drove the F2001B. While piloting this car, Schumacher not only won the inaugural race of the 2002 season but also made headlines when his brother Ralf's Williams-BMW flipped in the first corner and landed on top of Michael's teammate Rubens Barrichello. Despite starting the race in second, Schumacher dropped to fourth due to the chaos on the track. However, after a restart with the safety car, Schumacher passed Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya for third after the Colombian fell wide.

When leader David Coulthard of McLaren crashed out before the second restart, Montoya retook the lead from Schumacher. Shortly later, Schumacher made a brilliant pass on Montoya by going around the outside of Turn 2. From there, he built a lead of 18.6 seconds and ultimately beat Montoya. For Schumacher, this was his first of 11 victories that year on the path to his fifth Formula One World Championship.

After a heated collision with Montoya that broke the car's front wing, Michael drove it to third place at Sepang in Malaysia. A pit stop after lap one dropped Schumacher to 21st, but he drove back up to third place, eventually passing Jenson Button of BAR-Honda.

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Ferrari F2001b: Technical Details

The F2001b was equipped with a 3.0-litre Ferrari Tipo 050 V10, which was common in Formula 1 at the time. An astounding 825bhp would make this engine among the most potent naturally aspirated F1 machines ever. The car, which features a sequential electro-hydraulic seven-speed gearbox and a Gilles Simon-designed V10 engine with a few enhancements lifted from its eventual replacement, supposedly requires maintenance in Maranello. Otherwise, this is a fine model to follow.

Before being replaced by the new 2002 vehicle, the F2001 won a total of 10 races, finished on the podium 26 times, and started from pole position 13 times between 2001 and early 2002. By the time he retired from Formula One in 2006, Michael Schumacher had won the title seven times.

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