Sebastian Vettel chased thieves through the streets of Barcelona on a scooter in search of his stolen bag.
The four-time world champion was trying to track down possessions taken through his car window on Monday morning, following Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
According to reports in the Catalan newspaper, El Periodico, the German driver used the GPS signal from his AirPods headphones that were inside the bag using the Find My iPhone app.
Having traced the signal, Vettel jumped on a scooter through the city until he successfully reached the correct point on the map.
But, although he found his headphones where his iPhone had indicated they were, the bag and the rest of its contents were nowhere to be found.
It is thought likely the thieves discarded the headphones to throw their pursuer off the scent.
Vettel, who finished 11th in scorching heat at the Circuit de Catalunya, reported the incident to the local police, who have opened an investigation.
An Aston Martin spokesman confirmed that the theft had occurred but said Vettel was 'totally OK'.
It is not the first time Formula One has been subject to this kind of crime in Barcelona. Over the years, bags have been stolen from car parks at the circuit.