How much does an F1 car cost? What it really costs to put a Formula 1 car in your garage
The steering wheel alone costs around $50,000. A set of front and rear wings can cost roughly $200,000, depending on complexity
- Dec 17, 2025,
- Updated Dec 17, 2025 12:45 PM IST
Owning a Formula 1 car is no longer an abstract dream limited to team principals and world champions. With enough money, it is possible for private buyers to acquire something that either looks like, once raced as, or is directly inspired by an F1 car. The catch is simple: the closer you get to the real thing, the steeper the price becomes.
From carbon-fibre display shells to championship-winning machines and road-going hypercars, the market spans a wide and expensive spectrum.
A current Formula 1 race car
Estimated cost: $15.9 million
Putting a precise price on a modern F1 car is difficult, but the range is well understood. Teams operated under a $145.6 million budget cap in the 2022 season, a figure that covers most running costs but excludes driver salaries and a few other expenses. Dividing that number does not reveal the cost of a single car, but component-level estimates do.
Many individual parts are extraordinarily expensive. A modern F1 steering wheel, effectively a sophisticated computer, can cost around $50,000. Front and rear wings together can add up to roughly $200,000, depending on aerodynamic complexity. These components are custom-built in tiny volumes, which drives costs sharply higher.
The largest expenses come from the chassis, power unit and gearbox. Each of the limited number of engines permitted per season is valued at approximately $10.6 million. Taken together, experts generally place the cost of a competitive current-generation F1 car in the $12 million to $15 million range.
The visual replica: F1 show cars
Starting price: about $125,000
For buyers interested in appearance rather than performance, show cars offer the most accessible entry point. Replica F1 cars are available through specialist platforms for around $119,300.
These vehicles are not designed to run. They typically lack an engine, transmission and functional aerodynamics. Instead, they serve as full-scale visual representations of an F1 car, suitable for display in private collections, showrooms or garages.
Race-used machines with history
Price range: several million dollars
Complete Formula 1 cars that have competed in races sit in a very different category. Public auctions provide a rough benchmark for pricing, particularly for cars associated with legendary drivers.
Machines driven by icons such as Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher rarely sell for less than $5 million. At the top end of the market, the most expensive F1 car ever sold was the Mercedes driven by Juan Manuel Fangio to the 1954 world championship, which fetched roughly $31.8 million.
While some historic cars are mechanically simpler than modern F1 machines, operating them remains risky. Replacement parts are scarce, and even minor damage can erase millions in value.
Owning a Formula 1 car is no longer an abstract dream limited to team principals and world champions. With enough money, it is possible for private buyers to acquire something that either looks like, once raced as, or is directly inspired by an F1 car. The catch is simple: the closer you get to the real thing, the steeper the price becomes.
From carbon-fibre display shells to championship-winning machines and road-going hypercars, the market spans a wide and expensive spectrum.
A current Formula 1 race car
Estimated cost: $15.9 million
Putting a precise price on a modern F1 car is difficult, but the range is well understood. Teams operated under a $145.6 million budget cap in the 2022 season, a figure that covers most running costs but excludes driver salaries and a few other expenses. Dividing that number does not reveal the cost of a single car, but component-level estimates do.
Many individual parts are extraordinarily expensive. A modern F1 steering wheel, effectively a sophisticated computer, can cost around $50,000. Front and rear wings together can add up to roughly $200,000, depending on aerodynamic complexity. These components are custom-built in tiny volumes, which drives costs sharply higher.
The largest expenses come from the chassis, power unit and gearbox. Each of the limited number of engines permitted per season is valued at approximately $10.6 million. Taken together, experts generally place the cost of a competitive current-generation F1 car in the $12 million to $15 million range.
The visual replica: F1 show cars
Starting price: about $125,000
For buyers interested in appearance rather than performance, show cars offer the most accessible entry point. Replica F1 cars are available through specialist platforms for around $119,300.
These vehicles are not designed to run. They typically lack an engine, transmission and functional aerodynamics. Instead, they serve as full-scale visual representations of an F1 car, suitable for display in private collections, showrooms or garages.
Race-used machines with history
Price range: several million dollars
Complete Formula 1 cars that have competed in races sit in a very different category. Public auctions provide a rough benchmark for pricing, particularly for cars associated with legendary drivers.
Machines driven by icons such as Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher rarely sell for less than $5 million. At the top end of the market, the most expensive F1 car ever sold was the Mercedes driven by Juan Manuel Fangio to the 1954 world championship, which fetched roughly $31.8 million.
While some historic cars are mechanically simpler than modern F1 machines, operating them remains risky. Replacement parts are scarce, and even minor damage can erase millions in value.