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ARCHIVED - F1 driver Vettel chases thieves on a scooter after his bag is stolen in Barcelona
The four-time Formula 1 champion was robbed outside his hotel in the Spanish city
German Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel turned sleuth after his backpack was stolen outside his hotel in Barcelona, hopping onto a scooter and scouting the city centre looking for the thieves and his belongings.
Using GPS tracking software on his iPhone, the 53-year-old four-time F1 champion who drives for Aston Martin traced a set of earphones inside the bag. Unfortunately, Vettel managed to pinpoint the location of the earphones but they had been discarded by the thieves and the bag has not been recovered.
The theft happened at around 8pm on Monday May 23 as Vettel and his family were parked in a car belonging to Aston Martin outside the Barcelona hotel. Vettel got out of the car briefly and the thieves pounced, stealing the backpack from inside the vehicle and making their getaway.
Vettel reportedly jumped on an electric scooter, aware that the bag contained GPS-enabled 'airpods', and set off in pursuit, tracking the earphones' location.
He also called Barcelona police, known as the Mossos d'Esquadra, who tried to convince him to "return to the station to file a complaint", but Vettel insisted on tracking the earphones instead.
Finally, the GPS signal indicated a commercial establishment in the Ciutat Vella district where the earphones were found inside a flower vase in the shop, possibly placed there by the thieves to put Vettel off the scent.
An Aston Martin spokesperson said: "A bag belonging to Sebastian Vettel was stolen in Barcelona this morning. He tried to find it by using his iPhone to track his earphones which were in his bag, but when he located his earphones he found them abandoned and was therefore unable to locate his stolen bag."
The Mossos are now hunting for the two thieves, who are still in possession of personal documents belonging to the 53-time grand prix winner.
Vettel was in Barcelona to race in Spain's Montmeló Grand Prix on Sunday where he finished in 11th place, one position out of the points.
Image: Seb Vettel Twitter
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