Pablo Montoya is a former Formula 1 driver and one of three drivers from this South American country. In his Formula 1 career (2001–2006) he had 7 wins, 30 podiums, 13 pole positions and 12 fastest laps. He was never world champion, but he was part of some of the best teams at the time (Williams and McLaren). One of the cars he drove, the 2006 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21 is up for auction.

This car is one of the first to be tested by the seven-time Formula 1 champion, Lewis Hamilton. The MP4-21 was designed by legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey and was his last project for McLaren before joining Red Bull Racing. The car received new aerodynamics and a V-8 power unit, and debuted at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in early 2006.

The McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21 is powered by a Mercedes-Benz FO108S 2.4-liter naturally aspirated V-8 engine with 750 hp (559 kW) at 19,000 rpm, mated to a seven-speed McLaren transmission. With chassis 21A-03, the car was used in races in Bahrain, Malaysia and Australia, where the Colombian did not achieve a single podium. After that, the car was used as a spare in Monaco.

RM Sotheby’s claims that this car has been in storage since 2006 and that it was restored in 2019 by McLaren Racing Heritage and accompanied by McLaren Certificate of Authenticity. When it left the McLaren collection is unknown, but it is known to be one of the few cars that Hamilton drove that are no longer part of the McLaren collection.

The auction will take place August 15-17, 2024 in Monterey, and the estimated value of the car is $2,800,000 – $3,500,000 USD.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

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