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Charles Leclerc suffered his first major loss of 2022 when a limited edition watch worth $320,000 was stolen off his person in Italy. The 2022 F1 World Drivers' Championship leader is in the country for the forthcoming Imola GP this weekend.
According to a report first carried by Italy-24 and then corroborated by autosport.com, Charles Leclerc was in the Tuscan city of Viareggio. The Monegasque was with friends, among whom was his trainer Andrea Ferrari, when he was stopped by people seeking autographs and photographs.
Leclerc was swarmed by fans in an unlit Via Salvatori area around 10 pm. It is believed that this is when the watch was stolen from his wrist, unbeknownst to the Ferrari driver. Luckily, the 24-year-old was unharmed.
Andrea Ferrari confirmed the same in an Instagram story on his profile, citing the lack of adequate street lighting as a cause for the crime. He wrote:
“Via Salvatori has been completely in the dark for months. We have been reporting this for months. Well, yesterday evening in Via Salvatori, they have robbed us. Think of arranging the lamps sooner or later? Asking for a friend.”
Leclerc has reported the crime to the police who are now trying to ascertain if it was pre-meditated or an opportunistic act of larceny.
The watch is said to be a Richard Mille RM 67-02 made in collaboration with Ferrari, their official partner. McLaren driver Lando Norris also famously had a Richard Mille stolen after the 2020 UEFA Euro final at Wembley.
Ferrari will prioritize Charles Leclerc over Carlos Sainz in 2022, according to former F1 driver Timo Glock
Ferrari will be incentivized to make Charles Leclerc a priority over Carlos Sainz after the former's stellar start to the 2022 campaign, according to former F1 driver Timo Glock.
The Monegasque driver has two wins and a P2 finish in the first three races of the season and leads the championship with 71 points to his name.
Now an analyst for Sky Germany, Glock surmised that his solid start in contrast to Carlos Sainz after the Spaniard's DNF in Melbourne made it logical for Ferrari to back Leclerc. He said:
“[Charles] Leclerc is on an absolute high at the moment. Within the team, the leader is already relatively clear at an early stage. I’m sure Ferrari will prioritise Charles as quickly as possible in certain situations. Not yet to such an extreme, of course. But Leclerc is the World Championship leader and Carlos Sainz is already a certain distance behind him.”
With 20 possible races still to go, Sainz could still flip the script on his teammate before he plays second fiddle to Leclerc. His road to redemption will start at the 2022 Imola GP race weekend from April 22 to 24.
