Carlos Sainz commended the Italian police for apprehending thieves who are suspected of stealing an expensive watch from him following Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Just hours after placing third in the race, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, according to many media accounts, was the victim of a theft in Milan close to the Armani hotel. His Richard Mille watch, which according to ESPN is valued at least $500k, was stolen by two men.
However, Sainz pursued them with his bodyguard and with the assistance of onlookers and finally managed to catch the thieves before turning them over to the police.
In a video that was shared on social media, Sainz can be seen with his hands on his knees and appearing to be out of breath while police appear to be conducting an arrest.
“As many of you already know, yesterday we experienced an unfortunate incident in Milano,” the Spaniard wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Many thanks to all the people who helped us yesterday, to the Milan police for their quick intervention and thanks for all your messages.
“The most important thing is that we are all fine and that this remains only an unpleasant anecdote,” he wrote in a separate post.
Sainz is now the third Formula 1 driver in recent times to be singled out for having an expensive item on the wrist.
Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc had a unique Richard Mille watch that was reportedly worth $2 million stolen from him in April 2022 when he was taking a selfie with two fans. In that incident, the F1 driver pursued the perpetrators in his Ferrari 488 Pista until they were nabbed.
Additionally, McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris allegedly had his watch stolen at Wembley Stadium in London during the Euro 2020 soccer championship final in May 2021. The watch in question was a Richard Mille one-off, estimated to be worth $176,000.
