To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' London event, 24 October
2019.
Estimate:
£1,400,000 - £1,800,000
- Offered from the Autobau Collection
- Driven by Jean Alesi to 3rd place in the 1994 Brazilian GP, and
by Gerhard Berger to 2nd place in the 1994 Italian GP
- Ferrari Classiche-certified
- Accompanied by two spare sets of wheels, external starter
motor, tyre blankets, and jacks
By the end of the 1993 Formula One season, tempers were fraying at
Ferrari. Ten years had passed since their last World Constructors'
Championship and some 14 since their last Drivers' title. Perhaps
even more perplexing was the fact that three long years had passed
without a single Grand Prix victory, a succession of handsome yet
temperamental and hopelessly unreliable cars ultimately falling way
short of expectations. The combined 1992 and 1993 seasons said it
all: From 64 race starts, the Scuderia's cars had reached the
finish only 28 times, netting just four 3rd places and one 2nd.
Clearly, change was required, although the popular�if
contrasting�driver pairing of Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi was
retained for 1994 to ensure at least a modicum of continuity.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo rightly focused on the team's
inherent technical shortcomings instead, immediately setting about
securing the services of former Ferrari technical director John
Barnard and incumbent Peugeot sporting director Jean Todt. Both
arrived too late in the year to be able to exert any significant
influence over the 1993 season, but Barnard immediately set about
designing the 1994 car, while incoming team principal Todt
concentrated on restructuring the race team and streamlining some
of the notoriously slow Ferrari production and decision-making
processes.
Unlike its radical predecessor, the F93A, the new car�officially
named 412 T1, due to its four-valve V-12 engine and transverse
gearbox�was broadly conventional in its layout. A longer wheelbase
made the car far more forgiving to drive, whilst the replacement of
the somewhat ambitious five-valve cylinder heads used the previous
year significantly enhanced reliability. The addition of highly
rated Austrian designer Gustav Brunner to the design team, coupled
with Todt's manifold organisational improvements, led to a newly
reactive philosophy within the team, and several significant
engineering and aerodynamic updates were forthcoming throughout the
1994 season.
This particular car, the second of eight 412 T1s constructed, was
sent to the first round of the 1994 World Championship in Brazil
with Alesi nominated to drive. In qualifying, the charismatic
French-Sicilian gave a much-needed boost to team morale with a
promising 3rd place on the grid�albeit almost one and a half
seconds away from the pole-position time set by Senna's Williams
and over a second shy of Schumacher's 2nd-placed Benetton. In the
race, Alesi made an excellent start to pass Schumacher into the
first corner, only to be re-passed by the German on the second lap.
On lap 18 the Ferrari was demoted to 4th by the Williams of Damon
Hill, where it would remain for much of the race, although an
uncharacteristic spin into the gravel by the erstwhile Senna with
only 16 laps remaining handed Schumacher the race win and promoted
both Hill and Alesi to 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Although a podium
finish was richly deserved, celebrations at the Scuderia were
tempered by the fact that Alesi's fastest race lap was almost
exactly two seconds off that of race winner Schumacher�and that the
wunderkind had managed to lap the entire field in a little over an
hour and a half. Clearly there was still much catching up to
do.
The mood of cautious optimism at Ferrari persisted throughout the
middle part of the season, with the 412 T1 securing seven podium
finishes in the next eight races. After a huge testing crash at
Mugello, test driver Nicola Larini was drafted in to replace Alesi
for the Pacific and San Marino Grand Prixes, the former's 2nd place
at Imola�following the deaths of Ratzenberger in qualifying and
Senna in the race�representing a rare "good news" story on an
otherwise bleak weekend for Formula One. Now benefitting from the
new "043"-specification V-12 engine, with a wider vee angle and an
accompanying increase in power, the returning Alesi took a valiant
2nd place at Silverstone, whilst in the German Grand Prix at
Hockenheim, Berger scored the elusive race win in Germany, which
the Scuderia had craved for so long.
Having been used as the team's T-car for every grand prix since
Brazil, 149 returned to action for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
in September, on this occasion with Berger driving. With Schumacher
banned for two races following a black-flag transgression at
Silverstone, the remainder of the grid had a chance to capitalise
on his absence�which Ferrari most emphatically did with a hugely
popular 1-2 in qualifying, Alesi taking pole position to record the
Scuderia's first front-row lockout at home in almost 20 years.
In the race, Alesi led away from the start and opened up a
ten-second lead ahead of his teammate, only for his first pit stop
to bring heartbreak, as his 412 steadfastly refused to select a
gear. Despite his mechanics' best efforts, he was out on the
spot�Autosport supportively commenting that 'his reaction was
measurable on the Richter scale'. Following Alesi's retirement,
Berger took over the race lead in 149, although a slow pit stop
dropped him to 3rd place behind the Williams of Hill and Coulthard.
However, a degree of pride was salvaged for Ferrari when, cruelly,
Formula One novice Coulthard's car ran out of fuel on the final
lap, handing 2nd place to the genial Austrian.
After Monza, 149 was used as a T-car one final time at the
Portuguese Grand Prix in late September before returning to
Maranello for retirement. It remained the property of the Scuderia
until 2002, when it was sold to its first private owner. It was
later purchased by the consignor for display in his private museum
in Switzerland through Garage Foitek in 2013. During his ownership,
149 has been maintained in full running order and has been used for
a number of track days. It remains immaculately presented and
benefits from Ferrari Classiche certification, and its accompanying
binder states that it is presently fitted with the
early-specification "041" 65-degree V-12 engine. It would doubtless
be a very welcome addition to the Ferrari Corse Clienti and other
demonstration events to which it is ideally suited.To view this car
and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lf19.