Franco Colapinto sends message to thieves after summer robbery

Franco Colapinto has reacted after being burgled while on holiday in Italy during the Formula 1 summer shutdown. 

The Argentinian was enjoying his break near Lake Como in Italy when he was targeted by thieves.

Taking to social media, the Alpine driver shared a series of pictures of some items that had been stolen, stating, "[The] Last photos with this stuff. I was at the lake and my suitcases, clothes and mate [a caffeine-rich herbal drink like tea, common in Argentina] kit disappeared. I hope whoever took it all enjoys it.”

In a further now-deleted post, he quipped, " Who would have thought that Italians would steal everything from a Latino? I'm sure they won't like the mate."

The incident is the latest in an unfortunate series of similar scenarios involving F1 drivers, with Lando Norris having a £144,000 watch stolen when attending a football match at Wembley in 2023.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were also both victims of similar crimes in 2022 and 2023, although the latter was able to successfully catch the thieves and reclaim his £500,000 timepiece.

Colapinto has enjoyed a relatively strong second season with Alpine, and has become a regular points scorer. 

He was also recognised by fans as he claimed the overtake of the month award for a spectacular double-pass on team-mate Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson at Spa-Francorchamps before the summer shutdown.