F1 star ROBBED ahead of Canada GP with ‘passports, computer and everything' stolen from car by opportunistic thieves
FORMULA ONE rookie
Gabriel Bortoleto
almost didn't make it to the Canadian Grand Prix after his passport was stolen in a ROBBERY.
The thieves struck when the Sauber driver was in Switzerland before the lead-up to this
4
Gabriel Bortoleto was robbed in Switzerland before the Canadian Grand Prix
The culprits broke into
Bortoleto
's car and stole a backpack while he was enjoying a spot of dinner with friends in the Playground of Europe.
The bag had several important travel documents inside, including his passport, electronics and clothes.
The 20-year-old was forced to travel over 4,000 miles to Canada with a second passport as he aimed to minimise the disruption.
Despite the setback,
Bortoleto
is still able to
race
in
Canada
, but it was touch-and-go-for a while.
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The Brazilian said: 'I had gone to dinner one day in
Switzerland
and they ended up opening the car and taking my backpack.
'I had my
passports
, everything inside, my computer, all my running gear.'
The thieves were eventually caught and arrested, with some of the items retrieved by Swiss
police
.
Bortoleto
, who is the 14th highest paid driver on the grid with an annual salary of £1.5million, added: 'It was chaos, but we managed to find the guy.
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'Everything worked out in the end, I have my
passports
. We didn't find everything, but we did find some things."
It's not the first time an F1 star has been the victim of a robbery.
Former Formula 1 track in Valencia has been left abandoned
Just two years ago, then-Ferrari driver
just hours after the Italian Grand Prix.
Bortoleto's F2 title win last year earned him an immediate promotion to
F1
in 2025 with Sauber, as he replaced former
Mercedes
star
He
is yet to score a point, but a 12th place finish last time out in
While Bortoleto is still waiting for his first point of the season, team-mate Nico Hulkenberg impressed with a fifth-place finish in
Spain
.
Hulkenberg pipped Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari in the last lap, which left the 40-year-old
The F1 season continues this weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with
Lando Norris
looking to get back ahead of his teammate and championship rival
Oscar Piastri
.
Many eyes will also be on
Max Verstappen
who is
one error away from receiving a race ban
following his
shocking collision with George Russell
in Spain.
4
Bortoleto chatting with Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar before the Spanish GP
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