Carlos Sainz speaks out as thugs target Ferrari F1 star hours after Italian GP

04 September 2023 , 11:10

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Carlos Sainz was targeted by thugs after the Italian Grand Prix (Image: AP)

Carlos Sainz has spoken out for the first time since he was targeted by thieves who attempted to mug him of his designer watch after the Italian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari raced to third place at Monza, securing a first podium of the season at his team's home race. But the occasion was spoiled somewhat that evening when the attempted robbery took place.

A Richard Mille watch worth six figures was initially taken by the thugs. But the Formula 1 racer and his bodyguard then chased them down and, with help from passers-by, retrieved it.

Initial reports stated that no-one was hurt in the altercation. And Sainz has confirmed as much in a new statement on social media about what happened.

"As many of you already know, yesterday we experienced an unfortunate incident in Milan," he wrote. "The most important thing is that we are all okay and this will only remain as an unpleasant anecdote.

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"Many thanks to all the people who helped us yesterday, to the Milan police for their quick intervention and thanks for all your messages."

Footage of the aftermath showed Sainz was still wearing Ferrari attire when the incident occurred. One video shows police arresting a suspect in the incident while the Spaniard and a colleague stand nearby.

It was a sour note to end what had been a positive day for Ferrari. Red Bull proved to be too quick once again as Max Verstappen won at Monza, but Sainz kept the Dutchman behind for the first 14 laps and came home third, with team-mate Charles Leclerc just behind.

"It was a great weekend all along and to be able to celebrate a podium with the tifosi is the perfect icing on the cake! I really want to thank every single one of them for their endless support. They are very special!" he said after the race.

"Today I did everything I could to try to keep both Red Bulls behind, using my tyres to the limit and pushing the entire race. Unfortunately they still have the edge over us on race day and P3 was the maximum today.

"We had good battles on track with them and with Charles and I hope people enjoyed it as much as I did. Now we have some time to regroup and start preparing Singapore as soon as possible."

Daniel Moxon