Michael Schumacher’s Race-Winning F1 Tire Was Turned Into a Bracelet You Can Buy
The diamond-studded bracelet is crafted from the rubber of Schumacher’s winning tire from the ’96 Italian F1 GP.
It's easy to get caught up in the madness that's been the last three Formula 1 seasons with Red Bull and Max Verstappen absolutely annihilating the competition. Before that, it was Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, and before that, Red Bull again with Sebastian Vettel. However, Michael Schumacher's reign during the 1990s and 2000s with Ferrari still remains one of the most dominant periods the sport's ever seen. And now, you can wear a piece of that dominance—though it'll cost you dearly.
The Schumacher family's Keep Fighting Foundation partnered with Monegasque jewelry brand Mongrip to launch a new accessory collection called MZ96. The limited-edition run consists of 91 bracelets crafted from the rubber of Schumacher's winning tire from the 1996 Italian F1 Grand Prix.
A rear tire kept from the winning Ferrari F310B was offered by the foundation to create these cool relics—which of all the different Schumacher mementos I've come across over the years—is definitely one of the coolest and most original. The fact that this stems from a Ferrari win at Monza (after an eight-year drought) and not a random race from that season like, say, Buenos Aires, certainly makes it way more collectible.
As you can see in the photos, the bracelet is of a minimalist design and super sleek. The spliced tire rubber still features the original weaved nylon of the Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, which were mounted to awesome BBS gold wheels back in that day.
According to Mongrip, the decorative clasp is made of platinum and features several engravings. On one side there's the dragon emblem that became popular in Schumacher's helmets during the late stages of his career, as well as seven round-cut diamonds. One for each of his F1 titles. On the other side of the clasp you'll find Schumacher's iconic monogram that mimics an F1 cockpit's silhouette, as well as the bracelet's serial number.
Bracelet No. 01 recently sold at a Bonhams auction for a staggering $32,600, but the next seven serial numbers will be available for purchase on Dec. 7 via the Mongrip website. If this is something you see yourself wearing or just collecting, you'll have to part with 8,000 euro, which is roughly $8,700 at today's exchange rate.
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