Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had a dramatic encounter with thieves who snatched his expensive watch in Milan, just hours after he finished third at the Italian Grand Prix. The Spaniard managed to recover his £500,000 Richard Mille watch after pursuing the robbers with the help of his trainer and some bystanders.
A daring robbery near the Armani hotel
Sainz was leaving the Armani hotel in the center of Milan, where he was staying, when he was approached by three people who surrounded him and grabbed his wristwatch. The incident happened around 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, according to Italian media reports.
The robbers tried to escape on foot, but Sainz did not give up and chased them down the street. He was joined by his trainer and some people who witnessed the robbery. They managed to catch up with the thieves and retrieve the watch.
A rare and valuable watch
The watch that Sainz was wearing was a Richard Mille RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren, a limited edition model that was created in collaboration with the McLaren Formula One team. Only 500 pieces were made, and each one costs around £500,000.
Sainz is not the only F1 driver who owns a Richard Mille watch. His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc also has one, and he was also robbed of it in April 2022 in Viareggio, Italy. The robbers in that case pretended to be fans who wanted a selfie with him.
Another F1 driver who has a Richard Mille watch is Lando Norris, who drives for McLaren. He had his £145,000 watch stolen from him after watching the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium in London in July 2022.
A successful weekend for Sainz at Monza
Despite the robbery attempt, Sainz had a reason to celebrate after his performance at the Italian Grand Prix. He finished third behind Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, scoring his second podium of the season and his first with Ferrari at their home race.
Sainz also moved up to sixth place in the drivers’ championship standings, with 97.5 points. He is ahead of his former teammate Norris, who has 94 points. Sainz joined Ferrari this year, replacing Sebastian Vettel, who moved to Aston Martin.
The next race of the F1 season will be the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi on September 26.
