The McLaren car that Kimi Raikkonen left behind at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix after he retired from the race is going up for auction.
The Finnish driver went directly to his yacht moored in the harbour rather than return to the McLaren team garage. He was famously photographed relaxing in a hot tub and drinking beer.
The Finn’s heat shield caught fire during the race and burnt its way through the car wiring, resulting in power being lost to the engine. Raikkonen decided to pull over at the exit of Portier turn and hopped aboard his own yacht, being filmed later by the TV broadcast drinking beers in his hot tub as the race was going on, Yahoo Sports reminds us.
Auction house Bonhams will be selling the chassis of the car at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this year. The car is expected to sell for between $2.5 and $3.5 million.
Chassis ‘02’ of the MP4/21 was used in eight races with Raikkonen finishing that year fifth in the Drivers’ standings ahead of team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya. It was also the last season Raikkonen drove for Mclaren with the Finn leaving for Ferrari in 2007 when he won the Drivers’ title.
FILE PHOTO: Oct 21, 2018; Austin, TX, USA; Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen (7) of Finland celebrates winning the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.
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