Being robbed on holiday is bad enough. Being robbed, posting about it in frustration, then getting dragged online for how you posted about it? That is a uniquely modern form of misery, and Franco Colapinto has just lived through every second of it.
What Actually Happened
The Alpine driver was enjoying the F1 summer break near Lake Como in northern Italy when thieves helped themselves to his suitcases, clothes, and a mate kit, the caffeine-rich herbal drink that is basically a religious experience in Argentina. In the grand scheme of F1 driver robberies, it is hardly the most dramatic heist, but it is still someone else’s property being taken without permission, and that tends to be annoying.
Colapinto shared his frustration on Instagram, posting photos of the stolen items with the caption:
“Last photos of these clothes, mate, etc. I hope those who’ve snapped them up enjoy them!!” – Franco Colapinto
The Post That Caused the Real Problem
A separate, now-deleted post is where things got complicated. Colapinto wrote, and we are paraphrasing only slightly: who would have thought Italians would steal from a Latino? He added, with admirable confidence, that he was certain the thieves would not enjoy the mate.
Predictably, that did not go down well. Colapinto edited the word “Italians” to “Europeans,” which is arguably a broader insult, and then deleted the post entirely. To his credit, he handled the subsequent replies with some humour before the whole thing disappeared.
He Is Not the First, and He Will Not Be the Last
F1 drivers and theft have a long, frustrating history. Charles Leclerc had his watch stolen in Italy in 2022. Carlos Sainz had his lifted at Monza in 2023, although he apparently chased the thieves down and got it back, which is remarkable. Lando Norris lost a watch worth over £140,000 at Wembley during the Euro 2020 final. Colapinto loses some clothes and a mate set, which, relative to his paddock peers, is a fairly modest haul.
The post that remained public still pulled in over 700,000 likes on Instagram, so at least the sympathy was real, even if the deleted version reminded everyone that venting on social media is rarely the cleanest solution.
Worth Keeping in Perspective
Colapinto has had a solid 2026, scoring points in six of the first eleven races and picking up the overtake of the month award at Spa. He and Pierre Gasly are keeping Alpine in the fight for fifth in the constructors’ standings, just five points behind Racing Bulls.
Getting robbed on holiday is genuinely rubbish. But in a sport where drivers regularly lose six-figure watches without blinking, losing a mate kit might just be the most relatable thing to happen in F1 all season.
