Thieves Who Targeted Charles Leclerc's Multi-Million Watch Sentenced To 22 Years

Saajan Jogia | 19 Hours Ago

Charles Leclerc Wins The 2024 Monaco GP / Ferrari Press Image

Three men have been sentenced for their involvement in the high-profile theft of Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc's $2.8 million luxury watch. The brazen robbery of Leclerc's Richard Mille took place on April 18, 2022, in Viareggio, Italy, involving a meticulously planned operation, with each thief playing a coordinated role in executing the theft.

Despite their careful planning, surveillance footage helped the most in the investigation, apart from witness interviews, leading to the capture of the perpetrators. The case attracted widespread media attention, not only due to the celebrity status of Leclerc but also because of the exclusive luxury brand of the stolen watch, which is also a sponsor for the Ferrari and McLaren F1 teams.

According to Il Vaporetto, two men directly confronted Leclerc, while the other acted as lookouts to ensure the robbery went smoothly. The heist involved the use of a scooter and a rented SUV, which were captured on various CCTV cameras, enabling investigators to reconstruct the crime. The same night as the Leclerc robbery, the group attempted another watch theft near Forte dei Marmi, targeting a €40,000 Rolex Daytona. However, this second attempt was foiled by bystanders, further adding to the list of crimes linked to the group.

The thieves were also accused of attempting to rob a British manager earlier that evening, threatening him with a firearm in a violent bid to steal another expensive watch. After a lengthy trial, the court initially sentenced the three men to a combined total of 28 years. However, following an appeal, the sentences were reduced to around 22 years.

While Leclerc may be pleased that his watch thieves are facing long prison sentences, he is not optimistic about Ferrari's chances in the Constructors' Championship this year. With McLaren performing strongly and holding a 75-point lead, Leclerc feels the team has little chance of closing the gap with only six races remaining in the season with the current level of performance. He recently told the media:

“I think if we keep being consistent and not having too many missed opportunities, we will do the count at the end and hopefully we’ll be enough to get the Constructors’ [title].

“But on pure pace, I don’t think we are yet at the level to fight for the Constructors.

“I don’t see ourselves too much in the fight, but if they make mistakes then we might end up in the fight like we are now.”

While Ferrari seems to have solved the bouncing problem on its SF-24 F1 car, Leclerc doesn't prefer having the "wrong expectations." He added:

“As much as the last two races were good, I think we’ve always been saying we need to be careful to not have wrong expectations because McLaren still have a better car than us, like quite a bit.

“We have some tracks that will be very close, some others where we’ll be further away.

“Before this race [Singapore GP] we were quite close and we never really had the fastest car apart from maybe Monaco, and in Monza we were quite strong as well.”