Provoking a car chase on an F1 driver in a Ferrari is like challenging Rico Verhoeven to wrestle. It is not handy at all, but the criminals who stole a watch from Charles Leclerc last year initially got away with it. They fled on a scooter accompanied by an SUV while Leclerc was hot on their heels with a Ferrari 488 Pista Spider.
During the GP weekend in Imola, Leclerc is robbed on April 18, 2022. He drives his Ferrari through the Tuscan village of Viareggio. Leclerc is said to have just dropped off his personal trainer at home. Two people on a scooter pose as fans and ask if they can take a picture with Leclerc. The driver lowers the side window and gives permission for the photo. During the selfie, the thieves snatch the watch from Leclerc’s wrist.
Special watch for Charles Leclerc
The clock turns out to be a special version for the driver of the Richard Mille RM 67-02. Such a watch was auctioned in Switzerland in 2021. Auction house Christies then estimated the value of the watch at around 300,000 euros. The Richard Mille eventually went under the hammer for around two million euros.
Yesterday, the local police showed images of that day for the first time. This shows that Leclerc still gave chase in his Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. You can find the images at the bottom of this post. We suspect that the 488 is faster than the scooter, but the crooks have come up with something. Two accomplices are on Leclerc’s heels and would “facilitate” his escape with various maneuvers.
This way the thieves can escape, but not forever. Almost a year later, the Italian police caught the thieves. They would have already sold the watch to someone in Spain. Because there was so much to do around the Leclerc watch, the watch was sold for 200,000 euros. The criminals are now being handed over to the court.
Charles Leclerc chases thieves who stole his watch
The message from the Italian police
Da Napoli alla Versilia per rapinare orologi di pregio: i #Carabinieri arrest for 4 persons. Tra gli episodi documentati, la rapina di un prezioso orologio compiuta ai danni del pilota Charles Leclerc -> https://t.co/Hdzu5cUe9q pic.twitter.com/0wAIIuPFm1
— Arma dei Carabinieri (@_Carabinieri_) April 4, 2023
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