Force India steering wheel stolen at Monza

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Police are investigating after Force India had one of its steering wheels stolen during the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

The team confirmed a steering wheel was reported missing ahead of Sunday’s race at Monza, with it believed to have been taken on Saturday night following qualifying at the Italian circuit. The wheel in question was a spare for Sergio Perez’s car, and local police are investigating how it came to be taken.

F1 steering wheels are worth tens of thousands of pounds, being a labour-intensive item to produce with expensive materials and technology. The theft is the second to hit an F1 team within the past 12 months, with Red Bull having more than 60 trophies stolen from its Milton Keynes factory in December last year.

Force India was celebrating a strong result at Monza, with Sergio Perez finishing sixth and Nico Hulkenberg seventh as the team regained fifth place in the constructors’ championship from Lotus.

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