Monaco. The name itself conjures up visions of glamour & sophistication like very few other places indeed. There, in the gem of the French Riviera that remains one of the world’s great capitals of wealth, the money flows as easily as the Petrus & Lambrusco (Enzo Ferrari’s favoured wine, by the way, so don’t knock it), and the truly exotic hypercars frequenting the principality are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Especially on Grand Prix weekend or during Yacht Show season, if you’re not sailing in on a sleek 150-footer at a minimum, you may as well not even bother.
Among these inimitable surroundings, the Monaco Grand Prix remains a vitally centric fixture on the annual Formula 1 calendar. Races here are not usually the most exciting affairs due to the street circuit’s intimidatingly cramped nature, yet winning at Monaco still represents a major milestone in any F1 driver’s career. First run way back in 1929, Monaco’s prestigious status still stands unchallenged as part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans & Indianapolis 500.
Perhaps one of the most preeminent cars to have won at this richly storied circuit, the Ferrari F2001 was a key lynchpin in Ferrari and Michael Schumacher’s multiple F1 World Championship-winning and record setting streak of domination in the early 2000s. This particular example, chassis 211 is especially significant among modern race cars, for being the only Ferrari with which Schumacher scored both the Monaco Grand Prix win and Drivers’ title in the same season, even as the Scuderia secured its 2001 Constructors’ victory.
Having brought both titles back to Maranello the previous year for the first time in over 2 decades, qualifying for 2001’s Monaco GP turned out to be a more challenging affair for the reigning World Champion. He was held up by Enrique Bernoldi’s Arrows on his initial flying lap, then made light contact with the barriers at Portier towards the end of his session. This resulted in rear suspension damage that prompted the German to swap into chassis number 211 for Sunday morning’s race. As fate would have it, he started 2nd on the grid with a car that had only been driven in Fiorano shakedowns by test driver Luca Badoer, and used for warm-up ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, while David Coulthard had qualified his McLaren MP4-16 on pole.
It was not to be the British team’s race however: a faulty launch control system detected unusual conditions and killed the engine, leaving Coulthard frustratingly stalled as Schumacher set his F2001 off on the formation lap. With the Scotsman having no choice but to rejoin at the back of the field, this left Schumacher to start on the outside line, though with a clear run ahead of him.
This was an unexpected yet opportune advantage that he quickly capitalized on, strongly launching the F2001 into the kinked main straight’s inside to take 1st place into Sainte Devote ahead of two-time champion Mika Häkkinen, while Barrichello held station behind. As Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld was tagged by Jos Verstappen in the chasing pack’s tangle, Schumacher rapidly opened up a 1.2 second advantage as the first lap ended. By lap 2 he gained a further four tenths, as Häkkinen had to defend his McLaren with a heavier starting fuel load against Barrichello’s lighter Ferrari.
The Finn regained his groove in lap 8, responding to Schumacher’s early speed by setting consecutive fastest laps and shrinking the gap down to 2 seconds, then just 1 by lap 12. Then things took another dramatic turn when mechanical issues saw the McLaren driver lose pace by over 7 seconds through the middle sector, with Barrichello overtaking him ahead of the chicane. He was similarly slow through Monaco’s famous tunnel on the following lap before retiring in the pits, eventually explaining, “I didn’t hit a barrier or anything. [The car] was just pulling very heavily on the right. When it was doing that, it was too risky to continue… an extremely unusual problem.”
On Schumacher’s part, he had built up such a commanding lead of the race’s early stages that he was poised to lap Coulthard by lap 25 already, adding further insult to McLaren’s ignominy. Working towards a top six finish and 100 percent points scoring record in the season’s first half, Coulthard found himself stuck behind Bernoldi & unable to pass within the street track’s tight confines, much to team boss Ron Dennis’ chagrin. He swung off line and lifted his throttle out of the Nouvelle Chicane, allowing Schumacher to sweep by.
The German driver proceeded to eke out a 14 second advantage over Barrichello, and then set several lap records in succession to keep himself occupied. He stated, “It’s quite tiring to drive in this situation. There is no pressure from anyone else, but you go for so long, just worrying about reliability… I had a little chat with Ross [Brawn, Ferrari Technical Director] asking questions about other people, how they were doing in the race and so on. He said, ‘Please keep concentration’.”
Producing 820 bhp of peak output, the Ferrari’s Tipo 050 V10 engine emitted an absolutely glorious howl, its 17,000 rpm soundtrack echoing off of Monaco’s high-rise apartment blocks surrounding the famous circuit as Schumacher danced his F2001 over the road surface’s bumps and imperfections, eventually increasing his lead to 18 seconds. Having built up such a head of clear air, he pitted on lap 55 for his splash-and-dash. Tyres changed and refueling finished in just 7 seconds, he came out behind Barrichello who led for five laps before pitting, enabling Schumacher to retake the lead.
Excelling in its highest downforce configuration for Monaco and lighter than the previous season’s F1-2000, the F2001 came in comfortably below the 600 kg minimum weight limit, allowing the team to position ballast strategically and perfect its setup for each individual track. Schumacher made full use of all its prodigious capabilities to tick off lap after lap in a smoothly risk-free manner. Leading by 4.4 seconds into the final lap, he exited the tunnel and checked his mirrors, then slowed his pace and cruised through the final sector, allowing Barrichello to close the gap. The two Ferraris ultimately crossed the finish line only 0.431 seconds apart for a perfect photo finish, and a true Monte Carlo statement of intent from the Scuderia.
Perfectly ending the week when Ferrari announced a new contract with Schumacher set to last until 2004 ended, making him the Scuderia’s longest serving driver thus far, the driver emerged from chassis number 211 in barely wrinkled form. Accepting the winner’s trophy from Prince Rainer III and coolly winking at his Maranello teammates from atop the podium, he would later remark, “I was asked why I didn’t jump on the podium. Honestly, I don’t feel that emotional because it has been a very straightforward win.”
By scoring this commanding victory at Monaco, Schumacher extended his World Championship lead from four to 12 points ahead of Coulthard, with Ferrari stretching its advantage to 32 points clear of McLaren in the fight for the Constructors’ crown. Having proved itself so formidable in Monte Carlo, F2001 number 211 would see front-line action once again in Hungary, being ideally suited to another racetrack where high downforce levels would be vital. This was amply proven when Schumacher crushed Coulthard by a massive 0.8 seconds in qualifying to take his 41st career pole position.
By this point, in the 13th race of 17 for 2001, he had built up a 37-point margin over his adversary from McLaren. Just as Monaco had been, this would be another effortlessly triumphant performance from chassis 211, with the German driver bringing his tyres gradually up to temperature throughout the opening laps before lighting the afterburners and storming to another victory. He dominantly led 71 of the 77 racing laps, only relinquishing the lead upon making his pitstop. Teammate Barrichello had pipped Coulthard for 2nd place at the start before conveniently holding the McLaren up, leaving Schumacher to wrap up the Driver’s title with nearly a quarter of the championship still to go.
This would be his fourth World Champion title, drawing him equal to Alain Prost’s tally while also tying the French driver’s 51 Grand Prix wins, an achievement then bettered only by Juan Manual Fangio. On top of that, Schumacher became the Scuderia’s first consecutive World Champion since Alberto Ascari did the same in 1952 and 1953, even as Ferrari built on its early 2000s winning streak by clinching consecutive double Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles for the first time. Fortifying its place in history, F2001 chassis 211 would turn out to be the only Ferrari which Schumacher drove to victory in both the Monaco Grand Prix and Drivers’ Championship within the same season.
During the following Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, this Rosso rocketship would take Schumacher to 3rd place in qualifying, before gracefully entering a well-deserved retirement. Schumacher himself would win twice more after Hungary to bolster a simply remarkable 2001 record: he chalked up 11 pole positions and 9 wins from 17 race starts. By the time his highly composed 10th full-time F1 season concluded, he had scored an astonishing 53 wins out of 162 races overall.
Reflecting on the highly accomplished racer at the end of the 2001 season, Ferrari’s highly instrumental Technical Director Ross Brawn stated, “The F2001 is, I believe, the best car we’ve produced since I’ve been at Maranello.”
Believed by many experts to be the most significant of all F2001s owing to its incredibly storied history, chassis 211 was extensively overhauled throughout the past 12 months by Ferrari’s Corse Clienti department. New fuel tanks have been ordered and will require installation during the car’s next Factory visit to bring it back to full running condition; their cost has already been borne by the consignor. Chassis 211 is thus poised to be any significant Ferrari collection’s focal point, even as it stands prepared for evocatively spine-tingling track use during official F1 Clienti and Finali Mondiali events. Manifested in the only location that truly befits its unmatched race- and championship-winning pedigree, the opportunity to acquire this Modena masterpiece is truly not one to be missed.
Returning to Monte Carlo’s hallowed streets to be auctioned right where it scored its most famous victory, chassis 211 is now ready to make history yet again. Bidding will be initiated at 3:15 p.m. CEST on the 24th of May, just before the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix’s qualifying begins. It will be displayed right at the heart of the action, within the prestigious F1 Paddock Club™ where guests may admire it from the 23rd of May onwards. As another historic point of note, this will be the first time a Formula 1 car has ever been auctioned for sale at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Reflecting on this remarkable occassion, Augustin Sabatié-Garat, Director of Sales – EMEA, RM Sotheby’s said, “Victory on the streets of Monte Carlo alone would make this a hugely significant Ferrari, but to do so in the same season that it crossed the line to capture both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships — the first back-to-back Championship double in Ferrari history — takes it to a completely different level. We are very excited to take chassis 211 back to the site of its historic win, and to be able to auction it during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend is an immense privilege.”
In honour of the legendary German driver, a portion of the sale’s proceeds will be charitably donated to Michael Schumacher’s Keep Fighting Foundation.
