Alpine driver Franco Colapinto fell victim to a robbery at Lake Como during Formula 1′s summer shutdown.
Thieves targeted the 23-year-old Argentine while he was holidaying at the Italian lake.
The stolen items included personal clothing and his traditional mate tea preparation set.
Colapinto initially detailed the incident on social media, writing: “Who would have thought that Italians would steal everything from a Latino. I’m sure they won’t like the mate.”
The original post triggered online backlash over his comment regarding safety in Italy compared to Argentina.
Colapinto later amended the wording from “Italians” to “Europeans” before deleting the post entirely.
Shortly after, the Alpine driver shared pre-robbery images of the missing items with a follow-up caption: “Last photos of these clothes, mate, etc., etc. I hope those who’ve snapped them up enjoy them!!”
Colapinto joins a growing list of F1 drivers targeted by thieves.
Charles Leclerc lost a custom watch near Imola in 2022, while former teammate Carlos Sainz famously chased down thieves to recover his stolen watch outside a Milan hotel in 2023.
Reigning World Champion Lando Norris also suffered a high-value watch theft at Wembley Stadium in 2021.
The incident comes amidst a strong on-track resurgence for Colapinto.
Following a difficult debut year with Team Enstone in 2025, the Argentine has turned his form around in 2026, scoring points in six of the opening 11 rounds to keep Alpine firmly in midfield contention.
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