Franco Colapinto’s summer break was disrupted by a theft during his stay on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.
Read more How did McLaren turn things around?
The summer break did not go quite as planned for Franco Colapinto. While enjoying a few days of rest in Italy before the Formula 1 season resumed, the Alpine driver was the victim of a theft.
The 23-year-old Argentine was staying at Lake Como when he noticed the disappearance of several of his personal belongings. Nothing comparable to the very valuable watches stolen from some drivers in recent years, but enough to cause his annoyance and some notable posts on social media.
Colapinto notably explained that clothes as well as his mate preparation kit, a drink particularly popular in Argentina, had been taken.
Colapinto reacts with irony to the theft
In a first post since deleted, the Alpine driver reacted to the incident with his usual humor, while showing his irritation.
“Who would have thought Italians would steal everything from a Latino? I’m sure they won’t like the mate”, he had written.
This reference to Italians, however, caused many negative reactions on social media. Colapinto then reportedly changed his message by replacing the term with “Europeans,” before finally deleting the post entirely.
Shortly after, the Argentine posted a series of photos taken before the theft showing some of the missing items. He took the opportunity to send a new ironic message to the thieves.
“Last photos with these clothes, the mate, etc., etc. I hope those who got them enjoy them well!”, he said. A post accompanied by several emojis expressing his anger and disappointment, which quickly gained significant popularity among his followers.
Read more Simon Pagenaud finds new momentum thanks to the Cadillac F1 project
Several F1 drivers already targeted
Colapinto is far from being the first Formula 1 driver to be the victim of theft in recent years. Charles Leclerc notably experienced a much more costly misadventure in Italy, a few days before the 2022 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
The Monegasque had a watch stolen valued at around 277,000 euros. Four men were later arrested in connection with this case.
His former teammate at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, was also targeted in Milan after the 2023 Italian Grand Prix. Thieves took his watch, estimated at around 585,000 euros. The Spaniard then pursued the suspects with the help of members of his entourage and managed to recover his property.
Lando Norris was also a victim of theft in 2021, after the UEFA European Football Championship final between England and Italy at Wembley. A watch valued at nearly 170,000 euros was stolen from him.
A significantly improved 2026 season
This misadventure comes as Colapinto enjoys the break after a first half of the season that was much more convincing than his 2025 campaign. After a difficult start with Alpine, the Argentine has regained consistency this year.
He scored points in six of the first eleven Grands Prix of the season, including a sixth place in Canada, his best result since his Formula 1 debut.
His performances also contribute to Alpine’s progress, which occupies sixth place in the constructors’ championship and is only five points behind Racing Bulls.
After this somewhat eventful summer break, Colapinto will soon return to the paddock with the championship resuming at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Read more One year after his eviction by Red Bull: how did Liam Lawson save his career?