Lewis Hamilton's F1-winning 2013 Mercedes snapped up for nearly $19 million

If the measure of a Formula 1 driver’s worth is reflected by the value of one of his used race cars, then Lewis Hamilton slots in front of Michael Schumacher, but remains a world away from Juan Manuel Fangio.

At an RM Sotheby’s auction during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, the British driver’s 2013 Mercedes No. 4 — the first Mercedes in which Hamilton won a grand prix — sold for $18.8 million, more than Schumacher's 2003-season Ferrari did last year.

The final bid, placed by an unidentified buyer, well exceeded the auction house's estimated price for the car, which was between $10 million and $15 million. The car, chassis W04, still wears the livery it did that season, a silver and green number adorned with sponsor graphics. Its beating heart is a 2.4-liter V-8 motor; the following year, regulations mandated that all teams switch over to a hybrid-assisted 1.6-liter V-6, which powers F1 cars to this day.