McLaren Formula One driver Jenson Button, 35, and wife Jessica Michibata, 30, were involved in a robbery at their holiday home in the south of France earlier this week. The robbers are thought to have circulated an anaesthetic gas through the air conditioning system of the home located in Saint-Tropez, knocking out the couple and three friends while they slept.
The robbers then broke into the house, helping themselves to a number of personal items including the couple’s wedding ring, which has an estimated value of £250,000 (approximately $388,000). The ring features three diamonds including a large, teardrop-shaped stone weighing in at five carats.
“Police have told Jenson they’re convinced the burglars gassed the house using the air conditioning units,” a source told The Sun. “Over the past five years it’s becoming an increasingly common way for top criminals to launch raids on expensive properties in the area without being disturbed.”
Fortunately, no one was injured during the robbery.
It happened while Button was on his summer vacation. His next race is the Belgian Grand Prix scheduled for August 23.
Note, this isn’t the first time in recent weeks that the 2009 World Champion has made headlines. It was recently reported that Button was in talks with the BBC to be one of the new co-hosts of Top Gear. At present, only British presenter Chris Evans has been confirmed for future seasons of the hit show.
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