SEBASTIAN VETTEL was forced to run for the fire extinguisher after his car set alight during Dutch Grand Prix practice on Friday.
During the opening session of the weekend, the four-time world champion had to pull over to the side of the track following an engine failure.
Vettel jumped out of his Aston Martin and it swiftly became apparent his car was on fire.
He rushed to get the extinguisher and – with some help from a marshall at the side of the track – proceeded to put out the blaze.
Vettel had pulled over by the pit exit and so the session was red flagged as a result.
The German returned to the pits but his car remained on track and eventually had to be removed by a truck.
It took 40 minutes for the session to be restarted, a delay which left many frustrated.
Governing body the FIA said: “The delay was due to two factors – firstly the car going from an ERS-safe to an ERS unsafe state, meaning we had to take all necessary precautions during the recovery.
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“Then we had a safety systems issue that needed to be reset before the session could resume.”
After the session, Vettel tweeted a picture of him looking downbeat in his car and simply added: “Mood.”
Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first practice session at Spa ahead of world championship rival Max Verstappen.
The two Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took third and fourth spots, while Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas came in fifth.
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It is the first time the F1 has raced around the famous Zandvoort track since 1985.
Hamilton currently leads the world championship by just three points from Red Bull’s Verstappen.
The Brit is aiming to win a record breaking eighth world title, eclipsing the seven Michael Schumacher racked up between 1994 and 2004.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
