For once, Ferrari formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz seemed to have a pretty good weekend at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. He put his car on pole in qualifying and came in third after holding off a late challenge from teammate Charles LecLerc. But his weekend took a turn when thieves attempted to steal his $540,000 Richard Mille watch after the race.
Sainz was near the Armani Hotel in Milan and was still wearing his team kit on September 3 when the thieves attacked, according to CBS News. Two men took the driver’s watch, but their heist would shortly be thwarted by Sainz and his team.
After the men ran off with the Richard Mille watch, CBS News reports that Sainz and his team chased the pair down the street. With the help of his bodyguard, Sainz caught the thieves and handed them over to the police.
Following the chase, video began circulating on social media of the two thieves being loaded into the back of an Italian police car while Sainz is seen catching his breath. After he’d got his breath back, Sainz took to Twitter X to say:
“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.”
Rather worryingly, Sainz is far from the first Formula 1 driver to be targeted in a watch heist. McLaren racer Lando Norris had his $180,000 Richard Mille taken while he attended a soccer game at London’s Wembley Stadium and Charles Leclerc chased down the thieves who took his watch when he was in Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.