F1 star reveals he was BURGLED by thief who ‘stole everything’ after breaking into his car – and nearly missed the Canadian Grand Prix after passport was nicked

• Formula 1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto saw his passport stolen by a thief this week
• The 20-year-old Brazilian is yet to earn a point in his debut season on the circuit

By ADAM POGRUND

Published: 10:21 BST, 14 June 2025 | Updated: 11:14 BST, 14 June 2025

Formula 1 star Gabriel Bortoleto almost missed this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix after a thief shockingly broke into his car and stole his passport.

The Brazilian, who was in Zurich near his Sauber team’s headquarters, also had his computer taken while he was eating dinner and was forced to use a different passport and replacement travel documents as he scrambled to get to Montreal on time.

The 20-year-old joined Sauber ahead of this season after winning last year’s Formula Two title but is yet to earn a point in his maiden season on the Formula One circuit.

A 12th place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona represented his best result so far. 

And his preparations for the Canadian Grand Prix were dealt a heavy blow as he looks to improve on a challenging campaign, with the thiefs causing ‘chaos’. 

‘I had gone to dinner one day in Switzerland and they ended up opening the car and taking my backpack,’ the Sauber driver told Brazilian media.

Bortoleto almost missed out this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix after a thief stole his passport

The 20-year Brazilian revealed that he lost ‘everything’ after the thieves targeted his car

The Sauber driver is in his first season as an F1 driver but is still waiting to pick up his first point

‘I had my passports, everything inside – my computer, all my running gear.

‘It was chaos, but we managed to find the guy.

‘Everything worked out in the end, I have my passports. We didn’t find everything, but we did find some things.’ 

Bortoleto is the 14th highest paid driver on the grid, earning around £1.5million a year. 

The rookie, who replaced former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas this season, is not the first star to be targeted by thieves.

Two years ago, then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz chased down thieves and retrieved his £500,000 watch just hours after competing in the Italian Grand Prix in Milan.

While Bortoleto is still looking to pick up his first point of the season, meanwhile, team-mate Nico Hulkenburg sits in 11th on 16.

Despite Sauber’s car being one of the slowest on the grid, the German impressively raced to a fifth-place finish in Spain. 

The 20-year-old Brazilian is in his first season on the F1 circuit but is yet to pick up a point

But the Sauber driver’s team-mate Nico Hulkenburg impressed by coming fifth in Barcelona

Carlos Sainz chased down thiefs and retrieved his watch after the Italian Grand Prix in 2023

Much attention will be fixed of Max Verstappen this weekend as the season continues at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal this weekend.

The Red Bull driver is in third place but is a single error away from a race ban after his shocking collision with George Russell in Spain. 

Meanwhile, Brit Lando Norris will be aiming to return to the top of the leaderboard by besting McLaren team-mate and championship rival Oscar Piastri. 

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F1 star reveals he was BURGLED by thief who ‘stole everything’ after breaking into his car – and nearly missed the Canadian Grand Prix after passport was nicked

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