F1 photos raise £20,000

A SERIES of photographs taken by Formula One drivers and team members has raised more than £20,000 at a charity auction.

The sale included an image taken by Michael Schumacher of a boat on a lake that fetched £2500. An identical amount was paid by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone for one of his own pictures.

Ecclestone and former World Champion Damon Hill were at the auction to help raise funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Other former World Champions including Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton donated pictures from their private collections. Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel also contributed to the auction.

Auctioneer Chris Routledge said: ‘It was an overwhelming night with some of the greatest stars of F1. Being in the same room with Damon Hill, Chris Horner, Suzi Perry and Bernie Ecclestone was a fantastic experience for the noblest cause, the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.’

All pictures were signed and taken throughout the 2013 season by the drivers and team principals.

Also among the lots were seven Nikon COOLPIX S99500 cameras that have been signed by Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, John Surtees, Alain Prost and Sir Jackie Stewart.

By Press Association reporters