In a stunning turn of events, Tarso Marques, who famously shared the track with Fernando Alonso as his first F1 teammate, has been arrested in Brazil for allegedly possessing a luxury car illegally.

The 49-year-old former racer was stopped while driving a Lamborghini Gallardo in São Paulo—however, it wasn’t just the car’s eye-catching design that caught the police’s attention; it was also missing its license plates. A routine police check uncovered a staggering 'accumulated debt' of approximately 1.3 million Brazilian Reals associated with the vehicle, as reported by The Washington Post.

Marques, who only spent one season in Formula 1 back in 2001 with the Minardi team, made history as Alonso's first teammate. Interestingly, during their rookie campaigns, Marques managed to edge ahead of Alonso in the standings, with both drivers failing to score points. Marques’s highest placements were ninth-place finishes in Brazil and Canada, while Alonso's best was tenth in Germany.

After losing his seat for the 2002 season, Marques didn’t fade away; instead, he transitioned to a reserve and test driver role before ultimately finding a new home in Brazilian stock car racing, where he last competed in 2018. This unexpected arrest now raises questions about the former racer’s life after the fast lane and adds a controversial chapter to his already intriguing career.