The Formula One ace and Jessica Michibata were on vacation in Saint-Tropez when intruders broke into the apartment where they were staying with friends and stole $480,000 (£300,000) worth of the couple's belongings, including the model's engagement ring, which cost $320,000 (£250,000).

Reports suggest the thieves may have incapacitated the pair by pumping an anaesthetic gas through the villa's air conditioning system to knock them unconscious, although local police are yet to confirm the theory.

Jenson's spokesman James Williamson tells Britain's The Sun newspaper, "Two men broke into the property whilst they all slept and stole a number of items of jewellery, including, most upsettingly, Jessica's engagement ring... The police have indicated that this has become a growing problem in the region with perpetrators going so far as to gas their victims through air conditioning units before breaking in. Whilst unharmed, everyone involved is unsurprisingly shaken by the events."

Button and Michibata, who married in December (14), and their pals reportedly ended their vacation early on Tuesday (04Aug15) after the incident.