F1 driver Charles Leclerc robbed of $430k Richard Mille in throng of fans

Fergus Nash

RICHARD MELEE: Richard Mille is indisputably one of the most sought-after brands in the sporting wold, with superstar athletes across a huge range of disciplines wearing and promoting them. Unfortunately for such athletes, a Richard Mille is also highly sought-after by thieves, given that their value is more often than not in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Lando Norris was the first F1 driver that we are aware of to be mugged for his Richard Mille outside Wembley Stadium after the Euro 2020 final, but now Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc can relate.

Charles Leclerc has been riding high so far in 2022, with the Ferrari F1 team finally back at the front of the pack where they’ve been promising to reach for years. He’s currently leading the World Driver’s Championship after an absolute masterclass of a race at the Melbourne Grand Prix, having taken pole position, fastest lap, and of course the race win. Richard Mille replaced Hublot as Ferrari’s timekeeping partner after the Italian team produced a woeful 2020 car that sent them hurtling towards the back of the midfield, and that of course means providing the drivers with their flagship watches.

After a spontaneous photo and signing session with fans in the Italian city of Viareggio ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend, a swarm of fans proved enough distraction for Leclerc to have the watch stolen right off his wrist, allegedly without him even knowing. While Lando’s incident was a more direct and traumatic mugging, one could argue that Leclerc had it worse given that his specific model was worth a significantly more. Reports stated that Lando’s Richard Mille hovered around the £40,000 mark, while Charles Leclerc’s was worth over $430,000 AUD. Given the history of F1 drivers as targets dating back to Juan Manuel Fangio’s kidnapping in 1958, let’s hope that this hasn’t set a precedent for them as easy pickings.