Back in July 2021, Lando Norris attended the Euro 2020 finals when an incident occurred that shook him to his very core. The McLaren driver was ambushed and mugged off his $50,000 watch, a present from the sponsors of the team – luxury watchmaker, Richard Mille. The two assailants reportedly head-locked the Briton and ran away with his exquisite Richard Mille 67-02 timepiece. In the aftermath of this horrific event, Norris admitted that he was gripped with a mental health breakdown.
In his biography, authored by Ben Hunt, the Briton was quoted as revealing,
“I’m not in perfect condition, I’m not going to lie. I‘ve not been sleeping that great, and so on. I’ll work on it.”
Fortunately for the 24-year-old, he returned physically unscathed from the entire fiasco. Nonetheless, the mental scars of being apprehended and having a valuable possession ripped from him violently, left him with a lot to think about.
Initially, McLaren tried their best to sweep the entire event under the carpet. Their team statement also recorded that no further comments would be made as the matter was now remanded to the police. However, the book revealed how supportive they were to Norris to ensure he overcame the vulnerability.
After scarring Wembley incident, Lando Norris was robbed again in 2023
Norris would have hoped to put this chapter behind him and move on. Unfortunately, lighting struck twice for the Briton. Last year, whilst vacationing with friends, his luxury villa was reportedly burgled with a lot of valuables being stolen, per Sports Illustrated.
This time, however, Norris seemed to be more prepared mentally. Of course it was scarring, but not as much as the Wembley incident which had him fearing for his own safety.
That incident outside Wembley really left an impression on the young Briton. In the days after the incident, Norris was visibly shaken and it was evident upon his return to the McLaren Technology Center.
The team’s then communications head, and a close confidante of Norris, Charlotte Sefton revealed just how traumatized Norris was after that event. According to Sefton, Norris was always brought up in a sheltered environment, hence, he was not accustomed to an event of this gravity and that is what left him in utter shock and disbelief.
