Carlos Sainz was subjected to an attempted robbery just hours after finishing on the podium in the Italian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard was in Milan on Sunday evening after his third-place finish at Ferrari’s home race, when his Richard Mille watch — worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — was taken by thieves who attempted to flee on foot. Sainz and his team managed to chase down the attackers and prevent them from escaping, recovering his timepiece as those who had attempted to steal it were arrested by police.
Videos circulating on social media show the aftermath of the chase, with a number of bystanders reported to also have helped stop the thieves. Nobody was hurt in the incident.
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Sainz had finished on the podium for the second time at Monza — but his first as a Ferrari driver — earlier on Sunday, starting from pole but slipping behind the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez before holding off team-mate Charles Leclerc in a thrilling battle to the flag.
It’s not the first occasion a driver has been targeted in public, with Lando Norris recently having his Richard Mille watch stolen at the final of the Euro 2020 soccer championships in London, when the McLaren driver mugged as he was returning to his car after the game.