Can You Buy An F1 Car?

Probably the dream of many: to have their own F1 car to put it in the living room or drive it. Think how awesome it would be to impress your friends in this way. But can you buy an F1 car?

Yes, as impressive as it may sound, it is possible to buy retired and race-used F1 cars. There are many ways to buy one: through auctions, specialist websites, or from someone who owns one. However, you will need a lot of money, since they are not cheap to buy or maintain.

There are many small details and nuances that, at first glance, you might miss before buying an F1 car, so let’s get into the details.

If you’re looking for some F1 merchandise, check out the awesome stuff at the official F1 store here.

How Can You Buy An F1 Car?

As we have said before, an F1 car can be bought in a live auction or on the internet, conducted by F1 teams or private agencies, websites specializing in luxury goods, or even on eBay if a person who owns one wants to sell it.

You can find F1 cars for sale in Motorsports Market, F1 Authentics, Retro Race Cars, or simply put “F1 cars for sale” on the internet and do a little research to see what you can find. It is not very difficult to find cars for sale, the tricky thing is to find a good offer and that there is not much demand.

Which F1 Cars Can You Buy?

Not all F1 cars are available for purchase. F1 teams do not sell retired cars from last season, as from one year to another, much of the components and technology of a car can be used next year, as it still has valuable features.

The cars that are for sale are at least five years old as at this time the evolution of technology and regulations means that these cars are no longer useful for the new ones. Also, many teams keep their cars because they are an important part of their heritage program, or they repaint them with the new livery and use them as showcase cars.

Sponsors receive some cars as part of their contract with the team, and others are rarely offered as gifts to a driver who has achieved a significant achievement for the team.

The only time you can buy a current F1 car is when a team folds and sells their last cars, as has happened in recent years with teams like HRT, Caterham, and Manor.

How Much Money Do You Need To Buy An F1 Car?

This is the question you probably all have. It is great to know what kind of cars you can buy, but how much do they cost?

Well, there are various prices ranging from $ 25,000 to even $ 7.5 million in which some cars have been auctioned. The price depends on the car, the team, the year, and the driver who drove it, since the most successful cars or the most demanded liveries are the most expensive.

But, above all, the price of a car depends on whether it has an engine or not, since it is the most expensive part. And it is that you can buy a simple empty show car to put it in your living room and admire its beauty, which is much cheaper, or you can buy a fully equipped car that you can use on a racetrack.

An average new engine can cost up to $ 10.5 million, while an average new F1 car can cost around $15.5 million. Another factor to take into account is the maintenance price, which is also very high. F1 cars are very complicated and advanced machines, and it takes a group of mechanics and expert personnel to keep them in good condition.

If you have a lot of money, the good thing is that when buying an F1 car that can be used, there are companies that offer maintenance and storage services for the cars and even driving training so that you can drive it on a circuit. These programs are expensive, ranging from $2,000 per session to $30,000 for the entire course.

A perfect example is the Ferrari Corsi Clienti program, which offers all of these services to buyers of Ferrari F1 cars. They even take your car to the track in a truck, and you have a pit crew at your disposal all the time. You can use your Ferraris in circuits like Monza, Imola, or Spa. It is the dream of many, but it is available to very few.

Alternatives To Buying An F1 Car

If your budget is more limited, don’t worry because some cool alternatives may interest you.

Suppose you want to drive an F1 car or similar. In that case, many services offer the possibility of renting one and taking a couple of laps around a circuit for around $ 100, which will undoubtedly be a great experience to remember.

However, if what you want is to own something, there are sites where they sell spare parts or car parts that you can put on the wall or wherever you want as decoration.

I have come across a very cool website is The Memento Group, which redesigns F1 components, such as tires, nuts, or gears, and transforms them into objects like tables, chairs, or even chess boards. It won’t be cheap, but it will be much cheaper than buying an F1 car itself.

Conclusion

Anyone would want to own an F1 car, but they are ridiculously expensive to buy and maintain, so a lucky few can afford it. The rest of us mortals will have to settle for cheaper alternatives.