McLaren driver Lando Norris is ready for another season in Formula 1, hoping that an ultra-rare Richard Mille watch, inspired by the host nation’s neighbouring state, will be just the good luck charm he needs as he seeks out his first Grand Prix win.
Formula 1 is back for another year and the teams have (hopefully) put the finishing touches to their cars ahead of the 2024 season. For this year’s opener, the travelling F1 drivers are returning to Bahrain, hoping to lay down the marker to the rest of the teams for the first time this season.
In testing, Max Verstappen and the RB20 have shown Red Bull have put last year’s record-breaking successes – and an untimely scandal – behind them ahead of the season opener, securing the fastest time in the first day of testing… but waiting in the wings was a McLaren driver looking to shake some unwanted records of his own.
Lando Norris shares the unfortunate title of Most Formula 1 podiums without a win after securing P2 at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2023. The British driver has finished in the top 3 a record 13 times since making his Formula 1 debut in 2019 and will be hoping that 2024 can be his year to break the streak.
And recent snaps of the McLaren driver show he’s brought a very expensive, ultra-rare good luck charm to the Gulf, inspired by one of the region’s most prominent states, ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season.
Presented in a 38mm case with a screw-down crown, the Richard Mille RM67-02 Automatic ‘Qatar’ is an ultra-rare offering from Richard Mille’s celebrated collections. The ‘Qatar’ is the Swiss watchmaker’s lightest-ever self-winding watch at 32 grams, incorporating the brand’s COSC-certified CRMA7 movement for expert precision; it’s no wonder Richard Mille calls this piece the perfect piece for any sporting discipline.
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Worn by athletes and Qatari princes alike, the RM67-02 can be adapted to celebrate the nationalities and flags of the brand partners who wear it, breaking with Richard Mille tradition. Norris’ piece is inspired by the feats of Qatari high jumper Mutaz Barshim, who shared the top spot with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi, splitting the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
Sporting Qatar’s flag colours in maroon and white, Norris’ RM67-02 utilises Grade 5 titanium with black DLC treatment for a robust and pragmatic design, whilst the case is made from Quartz TPT® and Carbon TPT® for an ultra-light feel and finish.
One of these pieces will set you back $280,000 USD ($430,000 AUD), but as Richard Mille is one of McLaren’s exclusive sponsors, both Lando Norris and Australian driver Oscar Piastri can have their pick of the pieces from the Swiss watchmaker’s collection… not a bad perk of the job, then.