The Monegasque driver had his watch stolen in Viareggio, just before the Emilia-Romagna GP. The Richard Mille watch is valued at about R$ 11 million and was sold by the bandits for only 10% of its original value
Italian police have managed to identify the thieves who stole a watch from Charles Leclerc in the town of Viareggio, in the Tuscany region of Italy. The crime happened in April of this year, shortly before the Emilia-Romagna Formula 1 Grand Prix.
At the time, Leclerc was with friends and coach Andrea Ferrari in a dimly lit area when he was recognized by fans, who stopped for autographs and photos. In the crowd, a thief managed to steal Charles' wristwatch before he noticed.
Initially, reports in the British magazine Autosport estimated the value of the watch at approximately €319,000. However, the Italian newspaper Il Mattino claimed that not only did the jewel cost 2 million euros (about 11 million reais), but that the bandits sold it for only 10% of the total value.
The reason? The watch, by Richard Mille, was a special edition - with a dedication made personally to Leclerc - which ended up undermining the interest in the piece.
The Il Mattino publication also says that not only were the criminals located, but they were already known to the local police. The robbery had everything to have been "perfect" from the thieves' point of view, but was ruined because of the Ferrari driver's silkscreened signature on the watch.
After the Monegasque's complaint to the local police, the investigation had as its main focus whether the robbery was opportunistic or planned in advance. "I won't go into too much detail. It was not a good experience, but yes, I can't say much more than that," Leclerc said before the Emilia-Romagna GP.
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