Leclerc performance 'won't be hurt' by watch theft

Charles Leclerc is adamant he will 'not be hurt' by the incident in Italy that saw him robbed of a prized watch going into this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The F1 championship leader had his Richard Mille timepiece - estimated to be worth £250,000 - stolen from him as he posed for photographs with fans on Monday in the run-up to the first Italian race of the season.

Leclerc escaped uninjured but became the second F1 driver to be the victim of such theft in the past 21 months after McLaren driver Lando Norris was targetted following last year's European Championships final at Wembley.

The incident has put a cloud over the Monégasque's exceptional start to the season but he has ruled out any possible effect on his performance.

"I won't go too much into details," replied Leclerc when asked by GPFans as to what had taken place.

"It hasn't been a great experience. I cannot say much more than that. Everything is going on with the police and they are trying to find them.

"It hasn't been as smooth as I have read but overall, I am fine and fully focused for the weekend.

"It won't hurt me for this weekend."

Sainz "important for future of the team" - Leclerc

In the build-up to this weekend's home grand prix at Imola, Ferrari announced the extension of Carlos Sainz's contract, with both the Spaniard and Leclerc signed to the Scuderia through to the end of 2024.

Asked for his reaction to the news, Leclerc joked: "Oh no!"

On a more serious note, he added: "I am very happy. Obviously, Carlos is a great guy other than just a great driver, too.

"We have a very good relationship and we also work together very well but what is the most important is we also have the same feedback.

"We need the same things from the car and this is important for the future of the team, for us to both push in the same direction.

"This has been the case for the last year and a half and we are already seeing the benefits so having Carlos in the team for the next two years is great."

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