The V10 era of Formula 1 is remembered fondly by almost everybody. The beauty of the cars, the legendary drivers like Senna, Mansell, and Prost, and a healthy dose of nostalgia help us remember it fondly. But the defining person of that period was Michael Schumacher, who won seven world titles, five of them with Ferrari. The F2003-GA is the third entry in a dominant line of Ferrari F1 cars that began with the F1-2000 and ended with the F2005.
It’s also part of a family of some of the most beautiful Ferrari race cars ever made. The F2003-GA is named after Gianni Agnelli, the former head of Fiat who died in 2003. It’s directly related to the F1-2000, the utterly dominant F2002, and the F2004, which was the fastest car in F1 history until the 2020 Mercedes W11. The F2003-GA was actually introduced mid-season because the F2002 was deemed fast enough to win, and when the 2003 car was raced at the Spanish Grand Prix, it was found to overuse its tires.
The issues with the 2003 car led to the crushing dominance of the F2004. Because of this car, Schumacher could link together a streak of domination not seen until Lewis Hamilton in the turbo hybrid era. And this chassis is the very car that Schumacher clinched the 2003 title in at the Japanese Grand Prix.
For $9.5M, the car is in full running condition and prepared by the Ferrari factory, ready to be driven by the lucky soul who can afford one. It’s unobtanium, but it’s heroic and historic. I just hope someone buys it and drives it.