When the final race of the season is done, the champagne is sprayed, and the trophies are lifted… what happens to the F1 cars? Do they get parked in a dusty garage somewhere? Destroyed? Sold? The truth is much more fascinating—and in some cases, shocking
Some old F1 cars are preserved like sacred artifacts. These are the championship-winners, the record-breakers, the legends. Teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull often keep them in private museums or team headquarters, beautifully restored and kept on display. They’re not just cars—they’re rolling history
Others are used for testing and promotional events. You’ll sometimes spot a two-year-old F1 car roaring down city streets or doing demo laps at a festival. That’s because current F1 regulations restrict testing with modern cars, so teams use older models to train new drivers or impress fans
Then there are the ones that get sold—yes, sold. Wealthy collectors, former drivers, or motorsport museums around the world often buy these cars at auction. Some of these F1 machines go for millions, especially if they were driven by big names like Schumacher, Senna, or Hamilton. A few even end up in private garages—never to be raced again.
But not every car gets the fairy tale ending. Some are stripped for parts or used for crash testing simulations. Others are just left to rot quietly in storage facilities. No cameras. No applause. Just silence. A strange fate for a car that once flew at 300 km/h on the world’s biggest stages
So the next time you watch a Grand Prix, remember—every car has a story. And even when the lights go out, the journey doesn’t always end at the finish line.
