F1 race car driver, still in uniform, chases down thief who stole his $540K watch

Formula One race car driver Carlos Sainz Jr. chased down the suspect in the robbery of his luxury watch in the streets of Milan, Italy, while still wearing his F1 driver shirt.

The Ferrari driver had finished in third place at the Italian Grand Prix just hours earlier and was still partially in uniform when he was robbed of his $540,000 Richard Mille watch, according to the New York Post.

The 29-year-old Spaniard was allegedly targeted near the Armani Hotel in Milan, with at least one other teammate who was also in uniform at the scene.

An ESPN article cited Italian reports that said Sainz, his trainer, and members of the public assisted in pursuing the suspect after the public robbery took place.

Video shows Sainz bent over with his hands on his knees recovering from the chase, while his teammate and others pat him on the back for a job well done.

Sainz, who has 16 podium finishes and one victory in 177 races, took to his Twitter account to address the incident.

"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," Sainz wrote.

"Many thanks to all the people who helped us yesterday, to the Milan police for their quick intervention and thanks for all your messages," he added.

This is not the first, but rather the third robbery of a Formula One driver for a Richard Mille watch in the last three years.

Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc was robbed in Italy in April 2022 by four men. The robbers had posed as fans wanting a selfie. The four suspects were later arrested, but not before the driver had a real-life car chase that was partially caught on video.

Lando Norris, a McLaren driver, was the first in the troublesome trend. His $180,000 Richard Mille was stolen from him in England after he watched the finals of the Euro 2020 soccer tournament.

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