F1 personalities are often in possession of expensive items such as luxury cars, premium watches, expensive jewelry, etc. While the growing popularity of the sport has got this influx of wealth for drivers and team bosses, theft of such expensive things is also becoming prevalent. While drivers like Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have experienced watch theft, McLaren boss Zak Brown also joins this list, although with a twist in his story.
Speaking on the Track Limits podcast, Brown detailed his story of a potential watch theft as one of his most embarrassing moments. He said, “I thought I had my watch stolen in Japan. They take theft very seriously there. And I reported it. Police got involved and it was like a murder scene, with how serious they took it.”
The McLaren boss was paranoid and tense which made the situation look serious. The authorities and the hotel staff were also upset and trying to figure out who stole Brown’s watch. However, the twist came when the American found the watch on his own.
It was embarrassing as the 52-year-old had kept the watch in his “suitcase”. On the podcast, Brown joked about this, by saying how he accidentally hid the watch and considered it as theft.
Regardless, Brown found his watch in a hassle-free manner. But that was not the case with other victims of the F1 paddock. His driver Norris had to wait and suffer a lot after his watch got stolen in 2021.
Norris, Leclerc, and Sainz have been victims of watch theft
Besides Lando Norris, the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have also had their watches stolen. Sainz was actively involved in chasing down the thieves of his Richard Mille watch worth €300,000 ($323,970) in Milan.
It was in September 2023 when the Spaniard chased down the thieves on foot with his bodyguard. Post that, passing people helped Sainz until Milan police came in and arrested the accused.
Unlike his Spanish teammate, Leclerc chased down his watch thieves in his Ferrari. It was a Richard Mille RM67-02 timepiece that the Monegasque lost in Tuscany. Eventually, four people got caught for Leclerc’s watch theft after he and his trainer had alerted local police post their pursuit.
“Italian police arrest four for stealing Leclerc’s watch.”
Charles’s terrible luck started around that time when his watch got stolen, now that he potentially has it back, all I am hearing is that his good luck comes back too https://t.co/6vyjwgo0Kc
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) April 4, 2023
However, contrary to the Ferrari duo, Lando Norris had a horrifying experience of his watch theft. It was a custom-fit limited edition Richard Mille that got stolen from the British driver after a Euro 2020 game at Wembley Stadium. Eventually, the perpetrator Liam Williams got tried for the stolen watch.
Norris had been in a headlock and the two thieves snatched the watch from his hand. This had a severe mental impact on the McLaren driver. While he stated he was feeling alright, the incident did shock the 24-year-old a lot.
