Vettel chases thieves after Barcelona robbery

Aston Martin has confirmed Sebastian Vettel was a victim of a robbery in Barcelona.

Reports began circulating on Monday that the four-time F1 world champion had his backpack stolen from an Aston Martin parked outside his hotel the morning after the Spanish Grand Prix, in which Vettel finished 11th.

With the contents of his bag including a pair of Apple earphones, Vettel used his phone to track down the culprits with GPS riding his electric scooter.

But upon arrival, the backpack and the thieves had gone, leaving only the earphones.

Confirming the incident on Monday, an Aston Martin spokesperson said: “A bag belonging to Sebastian Vettel was stolen in Barcelona this morning; he tried to find it by using his iPhone to track his earphones which were in his bag.

"But when he located his earphones he found them abandoned and was therefore unable to locate his stolen bag.”

Local police are reported to have opened an investigation into the incident, with Vettel's focus now turning to this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Vettel is the third F1 driver in the past 10 months to be the victim of a robbery. In July last year, McLaren's Lando Norris had his Richard Mille watch stolen in a car park near Wembley Stadium following England's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.

In April, in the build-up to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was also robbed of his Richard Mille watch, estimated to be worth £250,000.

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