Robbed F1 driver forced to delete post after backlash
F1 driver Franco Colapinto has taken to Instagram to reveal he was robbed while holidaying in Italy.
But the way he went about it triggered a backlash from fans and caused him to first edit, and then delete the post entirely.
Franco Colapinto revealed on Instagram he had been robbed while on holiday in Italy. Instagram/@francolapinto
The Argentine is on holiday in Lake Como, north of Milan, during the F1 mid-season break and revealed a suitcase of clothes and a kit to make mate (a tea-like Argentine drink) had been stolen.
“Who would have thought that Italians would steal everything from a Latino? I’m sure they won’t like the mate,” the Alpine driver wrote in a post, per Planet F1.
Following backlash from fans, he changed “Italians” to “Europeans”, before deleting the post altogether.
In a later post, he shared a series of photos taken from before the robbery, and said he hoped “whoever took it all enjoys it”.
Colapinto is the latest victim in a series of robberies targeting F1 drivers. In 2021, Lando Norris had a watch with a six-figure valuation stolen while following the Euro 2020 final Wembley Stadium.
Both Charles Leclerc (2022) and Carlos Sainz (2023) have also had similarly-valued watches pinched, although the latter managed to chase the thieves down and get it back.
At the Miami Grand Prix in May, Valtteri Bottas′ hire car, in which a bag which held his paddock credentials and other valuables, was stolen from his accommodation.
After a shocking 2025 season in which he failed to score a point after taking over from Jack Doohan at Alpine, Colapinto and the French team are fairing significantly better.
Colapinto sits 12th in the standings with 19 points. He has a season-best finish of sixth at the Canadian Grand Prix in May. He sits two places behind teammate Pierre Gasly, although has less than half his points.
The Alpine team sits sixth in the constructors’ standings, just six points behind Racing Bulls in a tight battle for fifth.
The F1 season continues with the Dutch Grand Prix - which includes a sprint race - on the weekend of August 21-23.
