Mick Schumacher saw his Formula Two podium hopes go up in smoke in unusual fashion on Sunday after a fire extinguisher exploded in his cockpit.
The son of legendary F1 race Michael, the seven-time world champion, was running in third place in the second race of the weekend at the Styrian Grand Prix.
But the Prema starlet, whose first and only F2 podium was a victory in Hungary last season, suffered heartbreak at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.
With half of the race completed and the German on track for a top-three finish, the fire extinguisher randomly went off in his cockpit.
Footage showed the incident, with the 21-year-old seemingly distracted by the explosion as he attempted to retain his position.
But unfortunately the highly-rated youngster, who is part of the famed Ferrari Driver Academy as he looks to follow in his father's footsteps, was forced out of the race.
The youngster will look to bounce back when he returns to action in Hungary next weekend.
Meanwhile, former former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld has backed Schumacher Jnr to make his F1 debut earlier than expected.
A potential seat at the Ferrari-linked Alfa Romeo team could be on the horizon, with Kimi Raikkonen entering the twilight years of his career and Antonio Giovinazzi struggling.
“The good thing about the Schumacher family is that they know exactly what to do so that he doesn’t get into Formula 1 too early,” Heidfeld told Sky Germany.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Mick in the car this season.
“If he does a great job in Formula 2 and Giovinazzi has even bigger problems than he had last year, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mick is sitting in that seat by the middle of the season.”
Mick’s uncle Ralf Schumacher added: “Raikkonen may soon end his career and Giovinazzi is not so strong, so I think a young driver like Mick could have a chance."
