Michael Schumacher update as F1 simulator used by legend in his last Ferrari season goes up for sale for £20,000

5 months ago 45

A FORMULA One simulator used by Michael Schumacher in his last Ferrari season has gone on sale for £20,000.

The racing legend, who has won a joint record seven world titles, last used the device while training for F1 circuits back in 2006.

A Formula One simulator used by Michael Schumacher is being sold for £20,000[/caption]

The device was used by the racing legend back in 2006 while he prepared for F1 circuits[/caption]

Schumacher retired from F1 in 2012, before he suffered a severe brain injury following a ski crash in 2013[/caption]

Shaped like half an iconic Ferrari F1 car, the Italian manufacturers used the simulators to prepare drivers for various circuits.

It has now gone up for sale for a whopping £20,000 after being updated with all the circuits from the 2012 F1 calendar.

The device has been used by a number of drivers, but most notably by Schumacher during his last season driving for team Ferrari.

Auctioneers Gormleys Auctions says the collectible is a unique slice of history.

The listing reads: “This piece represents a rare opportunity to acquire a unique slice of F1 history, affording the opportunity to sit in the same pod that legendary driver Michael Schumacher will have used during simulated race sessions in advance of the 2006 Season.

“A former team-owned piece of F1 history, this simulator benefits from the particular association with one of the sport’s most celebrated exponents.

“This piece is a unique addition to the collection of any serious Ferrari F1 fan, and has been updated with ‘R-factor’ software and all of the circuits from the 2012 F1 calendar, among a number of other International circuits used for testing.

“In addition, it comes complete with a Force-feedback steering wheel by Bob Salisbury Engineering at Silverstone.”

The auction for the iconic piece ends on November 14.

It comes after a stunning collection of the F1 ace’s memorabilia worth £1.4million went up for auction in August.

Schumacher’s iconic 1994 Bell Benetton Formula 1 helmet was part of the collection along with an Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost signed Formula 1 Moet Champagne Bottle.

The bottle was signed by the pair during the 1989 Formula 1 World Championship and was set to sell for £7,800.

Two other special helmets from Schumacher’s career were expected to attract bids of up to £20,000.

One helmet – with a signed visor – was from the 2001 season, where it was worn during the Australian, Malaysian, and Brazilian Grand Prix events.

Another was from the following season and was used in the Japanese and Hungarian Grand Prix events when he raced for Ferrari.

The entire jaw-dropping collection was sold by RM Sotheby’s in Monterey, California.

An RM Sotheby’s spokesperson said: “Among this treasured collection of artwork and automobilia are more than 75 lots of race-worn clothing and equipment spanning the breadth of Schumacher’s career, including a selection of helmets from his earliest days in karting.

“Full Throttle – The Schumacher Collection offers an unrepeatable opportunity to acquire precious automobilia from the career of one of the sport’s true greats—touchstones from the life of a legendary driver who changed the face of motorsport forever”.

Also in August, Schumacher’s incredible Ferrari F2001b sportscar went up for sale for a staggering £6million.

The racing legend drove the 220mph 3.0-litre V10 cherry-red Ferrari when he won the 2002 Australian Grand Prix.

An RM Sotheby’s spokesperson said: “Amongst the most desirable of any modern-era grand prix cars in existence, chassis 215 played a significant role in the early days of the 2002 Formula 1 World Championship.

Schumacher’s iconic valuables have been listed at auctions after the driver suffered a severe brain injury during a devastating ski crash accident in December 2013.

He was on the slopes above Méribel in the French Alps when he hit his head on a rock while crossing an off-piste area.

Doctors said he would most likely have died had he not been wearing the safety gear, and the world champ was airlifted to Grenoble Hospital.

He was put into a medically induced coma after suffering what was described as a “traumatic brain injury”.

The former Ferrari and Mercedes driver was brought out of the coma in June 2014 and was released to go and rehabilitate at his home in Gland, Switzerland.

The 54-year-old now lives a private life with his family with the tragic ski accident coming just over a year after he retired from F1 in 2012.

He mounted a brief comeback for three seasons with the new Mercedes team after initially hanging up his helmet in 2006.

In 2021, his family broke their eight-year silence on the seven-time world champion’s condition in a Netflix documentary examining his illustrious career.

His wife Corinna explained in the Netflix interview: “We’re together. We live together at home. We do therapy.

“We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable”.