A Ferrari that once belonged to a Fofrmule 1 driver is always a dream come true. Even more so when it's a Ferrari SF90 Stradalea former Maranello hybrid flagship, now selling for €570,000 on the Italian second-hand market. A major feature: this car was once owned by Carlos Sainz. A prestigious provenance, to be sure. But is it enough to justify a price equivalent to, or even higher than, that of a new SF90 at the time?
An SF90 like no other... but already well used
Launched in March 2021, this Ferrari SF90 Stradale now has almost 13,900 km on the clock. Not an insignificant figure in the world of vintage supercars, where some cars change hands with less than 1,000 km on the odometer.
Technically and aesthetically, the car is beyond reproach. Rosso Corsa configuration, black interior, abundance of visible carbon, titanium exhaust and fastenings, forged wheels, full protective film, electric seats, premium hi-fi system, front and rear lift... Not to mention a manufacturer's maintenance cover until 2027. On paper, it's a very high-end SF90, exactly the kind of configuration you'd expect from a Ferrari ordered by an official driver. But the central element of this announcement lies elsewhere: Carlos Sainz's signature in the engine compartment.
The "celebrity" option versus market reality
At €570,000, this SF90 is right at the top of the current range. And even beyond what the recent market shows. In recent months, SF90 Stradales have sold for between €400,000 and €500,000, sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on year, mileage and the presence of the Assetto Fiorano package. Also, a year ago, an SF90 with higher mileage (around 14,000 miles, or 22,500 km) sold for €410,000 $, while still featuring the Assetto Fiorano pack, which was not fitted to Carlos Sainz's car. Even very recent examples with low mileage rarely exceed 530,000 to 550,000 $. Clearly, the extra charge here is not based on the specification sheet, but on the car's history.
This is where the debate gets interesting. Unlike some Ferraris that increase in value because they're limited editions or a particular configuration, this one is simply a personal Ferrari, used by Carlos Sainz during his time at Maranello. This gives it a special aura, but also an obvious limit. In the world of car collecting, the emotional value attached to a name is highly dependent on its trajectory through history. Today, Carlos Sainz is a well-known, respected driver and F1 race winner... but not yet an absolute legend of the sport.
What if the future was everything?
Perhaps that's the real question. Is this SF90 worth its price today? Objectively, no, based solely on market, mileage and equipment. It's priced like an almost-new SF90, even though it already has 14,000 km and no Assetto Fiorano pack. But what about tomorrow? Should Carlos Sainz one day become Formula 1 world champion, this Ferrari could change its status. It would no longer be a simple SF90, but an object of automotive history, frozen in a precise moment in the history of Ferrari and modern F1. Like Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F355 GTS, Alain Prost's Ferrari F40 or Niki Lauda's Ferrari 365 GT4. In this case, the signature under the hood could, indeed, be worth the price of a new car.
This SF90 ex-Carlos Sainz is therefore not a bad deal in the strict sense, but a gamble. A gamble on history, on a driver's career, and on the market's ability to continue to value symbolically-charged Ferraris. For the supercar enthusiast looking for the best price/performance ratio, the choice is clear: the market abounds with more recent, less expensive and sometimes more technically exclusive SF90s.
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