Lando Norris Ditched Loyalty to Richard Mille for $152K Audemars Piguet Watch at Azerbaijan GP

Besides the interviews and press conferences as part of Media Day duties on Thursday of an F1 weekend, F1 drivers often turn up with some bold fashion and luxury statements. And the Azerbaijan Grand Prix did not disappoint as many drivers including Lando Norris showed up on Thursday wearing some exquisite timepieces.

Norris is often seen sporting his Richard-Mille collection owing to McLaren’s long-standing partnership with the luxury watchmaker. However, the Azerbaijan GP saw a change in that trend as the Briton was spotted wearing an Audemars Piguet timepiece on his way to the track as seen on his shared flight with Nico Hulkenberg and Max Verstappen as shared on Instagram by @insaneluxurylife.

 

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The model Norris was wearing is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon which retails for $152,500. This design is housed in a light titanium case, measuring 41 mm in diameter and 10.7 mm thick, and a sandblasted slate grey dial, white gold hour markers, and a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock.

The watch also features a self-winding mechanism, ensuring accurate timekeeping besides offering a 65-hour power reserve and 50 meters of water resistance.

While Norris may have ditched his loyalties to Richard Mille for the Azerbaijan GP, Verstappen on the other hand, did not as he was seen wearing a timepiece from Red Bull’s sponsor — TAG Heuer.

Verstappen sported a timepiece which was once part of Niki Lauda’s collection

The Dutchman was seen wearing the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph ‘Glassbox’ during the media day ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, priced at $21,500. It features a ‘John Player Special’ color scheme, small black sub-dials, and a shiny yellow gold-plated dial with vertical brush marks.

The design of this watch is inspired by the classic Heuer Carrera from the 1970s, a predecessor to this model. The original Carrera was promoted by TAG Heuer’s former CEO Jack Heuer by giving them to winning F1 drivers like Niki Lauda and Jacky Ickx.

 

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The 2023 version of the Carrera worn by Verstappen has a unique ‘bowl-like flange’ and is powered by TAG Heuer’s in-house Heuer 02 chronograph movement, offering an impressive 80-hour power reserve.