Max Verstappen thought his car had caught fire during a practice session in Saudi Arabia - but what he was actually smelling was the smoke from a suspected missile attack close to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
During the first practice session ahead of this weekend's Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, a loud blast could be heard in Jeddah before a fire broke out at an Aramco facility just a few miles away. Before long, thick smoke could be seen billowing into the air from all parts of the city.
The smell of the smoke soon found its way to Verstappen's nostrils as he was out on the track, as was made clear by a radio message he sent to his team. "I can smell burning... is it my car?" he asked his engineers, clearly concerned that his Red Bull might have been the problem.
But he was swiftly assured by colleagues that his car was not the problem, and that the cause of the burning smell was from the fuel depot. Photos and videos from the scene of the fire show the flames high in the air, after what is believed to have been a missile attack.
Yemeni rebels have claimed responsibility for causing an explosion. The Houthis had already admitted that they were behind a series of previous attacks on Saudi Arabia.
A statement from Formula 1 said: "We are awaiting further information from the authorities on what has happened." Meanwhile, flights heading into the city are being told either to remain in the air outside of its airspace, or have been re-routed to other airports.
This latest incident will most likely pile the pressure on F1 bosses to take action, with a race in Saudi Arabia already controversial due to the country's human rights record and anti-gay laws, among other issues. It is possible that the second race of the season may even be cancelled if the safety of everyone involved cannot be guaranteed.
