Adrian Newey has never worked with Lewis Hamilton, as we all know. However, did you know that the Aero Wizard’s design was the first F1 car, Hamilton drove? Yes. The McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21 was one of the top cars of 2006. Despite that, the team couldn’t win the championship and finished third in that year’s constructor’s championship. The model was promising, and it was the last creation by the design guru, for McLaren. A last for Newey, but a first for Hamilton—isn’t that beautiful?

Back in 2006, when Lewis Hamilton joined McLaren’s junior program, McLaren gave him the MP4-21 to drive around Silverstone. The British-German collaboration knew in whom they were investing. Just 10 days before his testing, Hamilton had won the GP2 championship at Monza. He was already the talk of the town and all eyes were on him. He was the upcoming star in F1.

Little did the crowd know back then, that they were looking at the second seven-time World Champion! This was the car that paved the way for Lewis Hamilton’s legacy in Formula 1. Now, the auction house RM Sotheby’s is offering the McLaren as part of “Monterey Car Week” on August 16. RM Sotheby’s expects revenue between $2.8 and $3.5, reports Auto Motorsport. This is a step towards, restoring a piece of F1 history. After all, the history-maker, Lewis Hamilton himself drove it once.

In the 2006 F1 season, icons like Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen drove the MP4-21. Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 car would now be in good company in the US state of California. The auction house is also offering a B-version of the Ferrari F2001 that Michael Schumacher drove. However, the price of the ‘Red Goddess’ is more than the McLaren-Mercedes model. Let’s see what the MP4-21 was like.

Understanding the features of Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 car, the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21

The aerodynamics maestro Adrian Newey and his engineers at McLaren built the MP4-21. Equipped with Mercedes-Benz’s new and first V8 engine, the FO108S engine, the creation was a beast. The V8 could produce 750 hp at 19,000 rpm and the new chassis was a 90 percent revised development of the previous models. Special attention was paid to the aerodynamic design. The front narrow nose was inspired by the MP-18 and MP-19 of 2003 and 2004, giving the car a small dimension appearance.

What’s more intriguing about Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 car is its weight. It was just about 605 kg (1333 pounds)! Present-day F1 cars are miles away from the 600 mark. These features made the car stable and efficient on the track. Besides shining for Montoya, the model helped in Hamilton’s early career. In October 2006, Lewis tested the MP4-21 during several sessions. The test results were outstanding. What would you expect from the reigning champion of GP2?

This performance secured Hamilton a full-time seat for 2007 in McLaren. He was impressive alongside two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso. However, they narrowly lost the title to Kimi Raikkonen by just one point. However, in the next year and six more years, since then, Hamilton has proven himself as the greatest driver of this generation. He was a rare gem back then and he remains the same, even today.

Every step that Lewis Hamilton has left behind is a legacy- a token from the legend. The F1’s first car, the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21’s restoration and auctioning will generate an added revenue for the team. Moreover, they will renovate the model for reconditioning. Everyone must see the model and know that the only 7x world champ, other than Michael Schumacher, braced the stages of F1, etching his name in the history books. What do you think about this? Share below!