Michael Schumacher’s Benetton B191 is up for auction

Benetton B191, which Michael Schumacher drove in his debut season in Formula 1, is up for auction. The car went down in motorsport history, also because Nelson Piquet took his last win in it – it was the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix.

It’s not often that the same chassis is associated with the names of two champions, but this is simply the case, so auction house RM Sotheby’s expects interest in this lot to increase.

The car was made with the collaboration of the famous British designer John Barnard and debuted in April 1991 in Imola, on the third
stage of that season, and already in her third race let Piquet win.

Admittedly, under somewhat unusual circumstances that went down in Formula 1 history as one of the most curious episodes: Nigel Mansell was confident in the lead, but on the final lap, convinced of the success, he slowed down and welcomed the Canadian public, and at that moment the Renault engine on his Williams died insidiously. As a result, the Brazilian Benetton racer crossed the finish line first.

Schumacher drove this car in his third Benetton race, the Spanish Grand Prix, which took place at the end of September of that year. Michael then finished sixth. By the way, this was the very first race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where the Spanish round of the championship has been held ever since.

After the end of that season, the car was registered in the museum of the team from Enstone for a long time, but was moved to a private collection in 2016, completely restored and has hardly been driven since.

The starting price for the historic Benetton is only given to those interested in buying a car, but five years ago a comparable B191 went under the hammer for $1,010,000, and the chassis now up for auction has a much richer history , so we can assume that much more is needed for that.