Formula One driver Charles Leclerc has taken the world of motorsport by storm in 2022. He currently sits on top of the Drivers’ championship rankings. Moreover, Charles has won two of the first four Grand Prix races this year. The 24-year-old has received a lot of acclaim and appreciation for his amazing performance during the 2022 championship with Ferrari. The Monegasque driver is also considered to be the favorite along with Max Verstappen to win this year’s championship. However, on Monday, Leclerc’s luxury watch was stolen in the Tuscan Capital of Viareggio.
The Ferrari man was in the city with his friends and trainer, Andrea Ferrari, on Eastern Monday when the incident took place. Local reports suggest that Charles had a Richard Mille watch priced at $320,000 (£246,000). He was in Tuscany ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP when a bunch of fans recognized Leclerc at the Via Salvotori around 10 p.m. The crowd approached Charles Leclerc in a poorly lit space when an unidentified thief unhooked his expensive watch and escaped before he realized it was gone. The Monacan driver reported the incident to local police, and the case is currently under investigation.
A spokesperson from Ferrari confirmed that Charles Leclerc had his watch stolen in Viareggio(Italy) on the eve of April 18th. The representative stated that the matter was under investigation and no further details could be revealed at that moment. However, it certainly is not a major loss for the 24-year-old who has emerged as Ferrari’s main man this season. His financials are quickly transcending with his success in the F1 circuit. So, what is the Net Worth of Charles Leclerc? Keep reading further to find out!
Charles Leclerc’s Net Worth
Leclerc has won two out of the first four races in the 2022 F1 championship. Various experts predicted his success for quite some time. After two long seasons of trouble, the Monegasque racer finally got his hands on a competitive Ferrari car. Moreover, he has a five-year contract with Scuderia that will take him to the end of 2024.
Leclerc got his first F1 break with Sauber in 2018. The young Monacan yielded some brilliant results in a vehicle that many experts considered a midfield car. The rising star quickly caught Ferrari’s attention. And Leclerc was brought in after Kimi Raikkonen’s contract expired. Charles did not waste any time and began challenging Sebastian Vettel for the lead drivers’ spot in the team.
Further, Leclerc clinched two race wins during his F1 debut season with Ferrari in 2019. The Scuderia had a rough season in 2020, where they finished seventh in the championship. However, Charles was confident the Italian manufacturer would return with a bang. And that is exactly what Leclerc had pulled off in the early stages of the 2022 season.
As per Forbes, Leclerc’s salary has risen to $12m (£9.2m) in 2021. His current net worth is around £12m, nearly 20 times lesser than Lewis Hamilton’s £202m fortune.
Leclerc is quite far behind Hamilton, who was the top-grosser across F1 in 2021 with a $55million(£42.2m) per year base salary. He also received £5m in the form of bonuses and other endorsement deals. However, Hamilton will soon be replaced by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, whose recent mega-deal has taken him to a similar pay grade of £40m per year.
Ferrari is looking up to Charles Leclerc to win their first driver’s championship title since 2007. And if he manages to pull off the feat, Leclerc will enter the paygrade of Verstappen and Hamilton in no time.