The 1991 Jordan that seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher debuted in is up for sale again.
The Jordan 191 chassis number six is a legendary car in F1 history, thanks to Eddie Jordan’s bold move to let a young German driver, Schumacher, prove himself at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix. Jordan unexpectedly had an open seat because Bertrand Gachot was imprisoned for spraying CS gas at a London taxi driver.
Instead of choosing an established driver to join Andrea de Cesaris, he gave 22-year-old Schumacher the chance. “Schumacher was available this weekend, he had no other commitments. I’ve seen him in Formula 3 and I have this, well the team has this attitude, to give youth a chance. We think it’s a progressive way to see what the potential of Schumacher is for the future,” Jordan said at the time.
It was a smart choice, with Schumacher being seven-tenths of a second faster than de Cesaris in pre-qualifying, even though he’d never driven the car or lapped the circuit before. De Cesaris was unhappy and switched to the spare car but couldn’t keep up with Schumacher, who finished the day in eighth.
Schumacher didn’t race this chassis; it was handed over to de Cesaris, who had finished 7th in the Hungarian Grand Prix. De Cesaris managed to run as high as second at Spa before retiring. Schumacher, on the other hand, only managed less than a lap in chassis number five due to a clutch failure at the start.
Chassis number six continued as the spare car for the season, having kickstarted Schumacher’s stellar career. In 2021, it was driven by his son Mick in an emotional Sky Sports F1 segment. “Feeling and knowing that my dad raced this car as his first race car, is very special,” Mick Schumacher said.
Despite its historic value, previous buyers haven’t held on to the car for long. It sold for £1.2 million in 2021 and again for €1,495,000 (£1.3 million) in 2023.