What happens to old F1 cars after the season ends?

After the checkered flags drops for the F1 season finale, the focus of the fans, teams and drivers immediately shits to the next season. In the fast-paced world of Formula 1, a chassis is classified as 'heritage' as soon as it completes its final lap.

When the F1 cars return to their respective factories following the conclusion of the season, they are stripped bare to the chassis frame. The different parts and chassis may find refuge in storage facilities operated by teams or may help build components in the future.

As for the power units, customer teams have to return the engine components to its supplier. For example, a Ferrari customer team Haas has to return the engine components at the end of the season and also the various parts it has borrowed from the team.

Once the car has been deconstructed, the destiny of the various components varies. Most teams have 'heritage' sites, where every single component, from a bolt to a chassis, is logged and stored in a storage facility. The Mercedes Heritage facility houses over a million car parts.

Red Bull has the MK-7 experience at the Red Bull Racing Technology Campus in Milton Keynes, where it proudly displays its championship winning machinery. The McLaren Technology Centre in Woking also houses over 50 historic cars. Most parts are also displayed in the factories of the respective teams.

Most F1 outfits keep a dedicated team to maintain the components in their heritage facilities. Every single car in Mercedes' facility is fired up every year, as it maintains every component in peak condition, using the same trackside processes.

Some of the past machines are also utilised for demo runs, as the historic artifacts are revved back to life at famous events. One can spot historic cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Silverstone Festival, or CarFest.

Several cars are also put up for auction, as racing memorabilia can fetch record-breaking prices. Buyers vary from wealthy business-persons to F1 drivers like Sebastian Vettel, who bought the Williams FW14B in 2020.

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Exploring the most expensive F1 cars sold in an auction

Historic F1 cars are some of the most highly prized possessions in the motorsports world, with many cars fetching eye-watering values in auctions.

Juan Manuel Fangio's 1954 Mercedes W196R holds the record for being the most expensive F1 machinery, as it was sold for $29.6m in a Bonhams auction in 2013 (via the Economic Times).

Second on the list is Lewis Hamilton's 2013 Mercedes W04, with which he recorded his first F1 win with the Silver Arrows. The car was sold for $18.8m in 2023.

The Ferrari F2003-GA, driven by Michael Schumacher, is third on the list, having fetched $13.4m.