20 DRIVER SIGNATURE GOODYEAR TYRE – WILLIAMS FW19 CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION

An incredibly unique offering of a Williams FWS19 Goodyear Tyre, taken from their most recent Championship-winning season and signed by 20 F1® drivers over the course of the 1997 and 1998 seasons.  

Including FIVE World Champions and many of the most recognisable names in the history of F1®, this one-of-a-kind item is covered with the hallmarks of motorsport legends.   

A grid’s worth of history  

The 20 signatures adorning this tyre have been applied with meticulous care and preserved in fine detail. Originally, the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) organised for the item to be signed by the drivers across the 1997 and 1998 seasons. The full list of drivers who have applied their signatures to this tyre include:  

Jacques Villeneuve (World Champion) 

Michael Schumacher (World Champion) 

Mika Hakkinen (World Champion) 

Alain Prost (World Champion) 

Damon Hill (World Champion)  

David Coulthard 

Heinz-Harald Frentzen 

Jean Alesi 

Rubens Barrichello 

Giancarlo Fisichella 

Ralf Schumacher 

Mika Salo 

Johnny Herbert 

Alexander Wurz 

Jarno Trulli 

Jan Magnussen 

Olivier Panis 

Tarso Marques 

Pedro Diniz 

Ricardo Rosset 

The mark of champions  

This tyre was first used on the FW19 Williams that won the World Championship in 1997; this is clear from the distinctive Yellow Oz racing rim included. Being the last Championship win to date for the team makes the applied signatures of that year’s Drivers’ Champion Jacques Villeneuve, plus his Constructors’ Champion teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen, all the more special.  

Villeneuve achieved 9 pole positions and 7 race wins in Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Britain, Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg on his way to claiming the title. As of 2025, this remains the last Championship won by a non-European driver. Frentzen, meanwhile, contributed seven podium finishes, five of which consecutive, on the way to the Constructors’ Championship.  

The Champions of 1998, McLaren, are also featured, notably with the signatures of that year’s Drivers’ Champion, Mika Häkkinen, and his Constructors’ Champion teammate David Coulthard. The signature applied by Häkkinen on this tyre is particularly noteworthy, as he has added his nickname, ‘The Flying Finn’, making this even rarer. Until last year, this also represented the last McLaren Championship, with a 26 year wait ensured before the 2024 Constructors’ Title victory.  

World Class representation  

Damon Hill entered the 1997 season as reigning Champion and became the fourth driver in a decade to win the World Drivers' Championship with Williams but drive for a different team the following year. Racing for Arrows in 97, Hill scored his first points at Silverstone and achieved a second-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.  In 1998, Hill joined Jordan and at the Belgian Grand Prix, secured the team's first-ever win in F1®. 

Considered the greatest of all-time, the addition of 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is a significant inclusion to the signatures on this piece. Winning 11 races over the course of the two seasons, he initially finished runner-up in both 1997 and 1998 but was disqualified from ‘97 after a collision with Villeneuve in the final race.  

Alain Prost represents the only Team Manager from these two seasons to have signed the tyre, alongside his drivers Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli. A four-time World Champion in his own right, ‘The Professor’ is another highly sought-after addition, at the time of his retirement holding the records for most wins, fastest laps and podium finishes in F1® history.  

90s excellence encapsulated  

Signatures of this many legendary drivers are rare to find on one piece, but even rarer when they have been applied over a finite amount of time. Many iconic moments took place over the course of the 1997 and 1998 seasons, which are now perfectly encapsulated by these collective autographs.  

Giancarlo Fisichella recorded the fastest lap at the 1997 Spanish Grand Prix driving for Jordan before podium finishes in Canada and Austria. After moving to Benetton, he obtained Pole Position at the 1998 Austrian Grand Prix and finished runner up consecutively in Monaco and Canada. Jean Alesi achieved Pole Position at the 1997 Italian Grand Prix and finished on the podium for Benetton in Spain, Canada, Britain Italy and Luxembourg; before finishing on the podium for Sauber at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.  

Ralf Schumacher debuted for Jordan in 1997 and achieved the first podium of his career in Argentina, followed in 1998 with a second place in Belgium and a consecutive podium finish by coming third at the 1998 Italian Grand Prix. Alexander Wurtz debuted in 1997, filling in for Benetton driver Gerhard Berger for three races, notably achieving a podium position at Silverstone before being added to the driver lineup for 1998.  

Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen endured challenging seasons with Stewart, but Barrichello did achieve a second-place finish in Monaco in 1997, with Magnussen scoring a Championship point at 1998 Canadian Grand Prix. Johnny Herbert consistently achieved points for Sauber in 1997, with his best result a podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Monaco proved the happiest hunting ground for Mika Salo, who achieved 5th place in 1997 and bettered the feat with a 4th place finish in 1998.  

Pedro Diniz raced for Arrows across these seasons, securing 5th place at the 1997 Luxembourg GP and another 5th place finish in Belgium in 1998. Tarso Marques secured a seat with Minardi from Round 8 of 1997 at the French GP until the end of the season. Ricardo Rosset did not qualify with Lola for the 1997 season, but raced for Tyrell in 1998, achieving an 8th placed finish at the Canadian Grand Prix.  

More than a tyre  

The 1997 season, from which this tyre was secured, was the last season for 12 years in which F1® cars would race on fully slick dry weather tyres. It was also the last Championship won on Goodyear tyres to date – after their sole supplier status ended and opened the door in future to competition from the likes of Bridgestone. Michelin and Pirelli.  

This complete tyre and rim is an impressive upgrade on typically collected rubber-only tyres and represents a weighted display-ready item, better representing how this would have appeared on the car.  

Featuring signatures from much of the entire Formula 1® grid across two consecutive seasons ensures this unique item symbolises not just a single driver or team, but a whole era of the sport, from established legends to rising stars.  

Key features include: 

20 Signatures (x19 Drivers, x1 Manager/Former Driver) from 97 and 98  

Five Drivers’ World Champion autographs  

97 & 98 winning Drivers’ and Constructors’ Champions signatures  

Williams Tyre from the FW19 – team’s last Championship to date 

Last Championship-winning tyre produced by Goodyear to date  

Please note that this item has been consigned to this auction from a private seller. All consignors are members of our database and are vetted for authenticity.