Carlos Sainz has become the latest Formula 1 driver to fall victim to watch robbery. Hours after finishing third at the Italian GP, the Ferrari driver was robbed off his ultra-expensive Richard Mille watch. Fortunately, he was as able to chase down the thieves and retrieve the timepiece. According to various sources, the 29-year-old racing driver was approached by three unknown men when he was walking outside the Armani Hotel in Milan on Sunday evening. Posing as fans wanting to get an autograph, the three people allegedly pointed a knife at Sainz and made away with the Richard Mille timepiece that was on the Spaniard’s wrist. There’s no information if there was a scuffle or the F1 driver surrendered the watch voluntarily. However, Sainz, Still decked out in his team kit, immediately decided to chase the robbers on foot.
Several news reports suggest Sainz was accompanied by his trainer and members of the public to peruse the robbers in order to retrieve the watch. After a short chase, Sainz was able to catch one of the thieves and managed to restrain him until the police showed up. His assistant and trainer were able to nab the other two perpetrators and the rare Richard Mille was recovered. It’s not known if there was any violence involved in the pursuit, but all three robbers — aged between 18 and 20 — were eventually arrested by the police. A video from the incident has also emerged on the internet that shows one person being arrested by the cops, while Sainz can be seen panting with his hands on resting on his knees.
The timepiece that was almost stolen from Carlos Sainz is believed to be a limited-production Richard Mille 67-02 Alexander Zverev edition. Made with high-tech ultra-light materials, the watch along with the strap weighs only 32 grams. While the timepiece was originally launched in 2018 with a price tag that roughly converts to $140,000, it’s currently available for close to $350,000 in the pre-owned market.
It’s great that Sainz successfully was able to chase down the robbers and retrieve the ultra-expensive watch, but the situation could have ended terribly for the Ferrari driver considering the robbers had a knife.
Thankfully, Sainz was unharmed and his joy of finishing on the podium was not ruined. Not only was he able to championship leader Max Verstappen to pole position on Saturday, but he was also able to fend off a late attack from his teammate Leclerc to finish third at the Italian GP.
Charles Leclerc’s Richard Mille was flicked as well
The robbery attempt on Carlos Sainz that took place on Sunday is eerily similar to what had happened with his fellow Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc last year. The Monégasque F1 driver was robbed off his $320,000 Richard Mille RM 67-02 watch when he was on a holiday with his friends and trainer in Italy. In a very similar fashion, several thieves posing as fans stole the ultra-expensive timepiece from Leclerc. In his case, it was too late to peruse the robbers by the time he realized the watch was gone. However, a year later, Leclerc was able to track down the perpetrators and chased them down in his custom Ferrari 488 Pista. The Italian police had arrested three men and one woman liked to the robbery of Leclerc’s Richard Mille; however, the fate of the ultra-expensive timepiece is still unknown.
