While the theft of high-end watches are certainly on the rise all across Europe, few could anticipate that a Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver would be the target of such a brazen act — just hours after his podium result at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix and while still in his team kit, no less.
A rare watch was stolen right from the wrist of Carlos Sainz Jr while he was making his way back from Autodromo Nazionale Monza to Milan’s Armani hotel; the Spanish motorsport talent along with his trainer and unidentified members of the public pursued the thieves on foot, which proved successful and led to the latter’s eventual arrest.
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The timepiece in question is believed to be a Richard Mille RM 67-02 “Alexander Zverev” Edition, which only retails for around US$120,500 (AU$186,890), but sells on the pre-owned market for around $500,000 today.
It might sound strange for an F1 driver to rock a tennis player’s limited edition watch, but the colours Zverev personally selected are clearly close enough to Ferrari’s Rosso Corsa to catch Sainz’s eye.
Carlos Sainz Jr took to Instagram shortly after the incident to assure his fans he was okay, stating:
“As many of you already know, yesterday we experienced an unfortunate incident in Milano. The most important thing is that we are all OK and this will only remain as an unpleasant anecdote. Many thanks to all the people who helped us yesterday, to the Milan police for their quick intervention, and thanks for all your messages.”
Of course, this isn’t exactly the first time a member of the grid has been the target of watch theft:
- Sainz’s former McLaren Racing teammate Lando Norris, for one, also had his Richard Mille forcibly taken at Wembley Stadium after the 2020 Euro Finals.
- Less than a year later, Sainz’s current teammate Charles Leclerc had his own Richard Mille watch swiped while signing autographs in Italy.
We’re sensing a pattern here…
Watch theft has become so commonplace, in fact, that Audemars Piguet recently announced a program to cover its timepieces against theft, which have an average price of CHF50,000 (AU$81,013).
