The court on Thursday sentenced a 23-year-old Amsterdam resident to one year in prison, of which three months were suspended, for the violent robbery of former Formula 1 driver Robert Doornbos. That happened on March 18, 2023 in Amsterdam-Buitenveldert.
The victim was attacked in the dark with a bat, beaten several times and robbed of his Rolex watch and phone. He was injured.
“This sudden, violent robbery must have been extremely frightening for the victim, especially since he was waiting for him at his home, where he should have felt safe, by the suspect and his co-perpetrator. The court therefore places great blame on the suspect for all of this,” the ruling states. The man is less accountable.
The Public Prosecution Service had demanded a two-year prison sentence on appeal, six months of which was conditional. The suspect has already served his sentence in pre-trial detention and does not have to go back to prison. During the two-year probationary period, he must undergo treatment.
Following the court’s decision, the court acquitted a 30-year-old co-suspect of complicity.
Doornbos was active in Formula 1 between 2004 and 2007 and drove a total of eleven races. After his career as a driver, he started working as an analyst at Ziggo Sport. He stopped doing that in 2024. Shortly afterwards he emigrated to the Middle East.
Arjan Schouten and Tim Hartman
Arjan Schouten is a sports reporter and writes about Formula 1 and skating. He has been at Grands Prix since 2016 and follows Max Verstappen closely. Read all his stories this file.