Valtteri Bottas has found a rather unconventional way of getting to the Singapore Grand Prix. He’s cycling there.
While the rest of the Formula 1 paddock prepares to make the journey from Malaysia to Singapore by plane, Cadillac driver Bottas has decided that what he really needs after a chaotic Grand Prix weekend is approximately 350 kilometres of cycling.
The Finnish driver began his journey shortly after retiring from Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit this year due to the ongoing disruption to the original calendar. Bottas’ race itself lasted only nine laps after he gambled on slick tyres on a wet track, spun into the gravel, and was forced to retire. Confused? Check out our beginner’s guide to F1.
Naturally, his response was to get on a bike.
Bottas is splitting the journey into multiple stages, with the aim of reaching Singapore in time for Thursday’s media commitments ahead of Friday practice. His first stint took him around 56km from Sepang towards Port Dickson, much of it in darkness, with Bottas sharing footage of himself cycling along the road with a headlight illuminating his route.
He then followed that up with a 160km-plus ride on Monday, leaving him with roughly another 100km to go depending on the final route.
And honestly, if there was ever an F1 driver likely to decide that a 350km inter-race transfer should become an endurance challenge, it was Bottas.
The 37-year-old has become one of the grid’s most committed cyclists, regularly taking part in gravel races and long-distance rides away from the F1 paddock. When we spotted him at Silverstone this year, he was cycling into the paddock. Earlier this year, he even qualified for the UCI Gravel World Championships, although his F1 commitments mean he won’t be able to compete.
His partner, professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, has also been spotted training with him around Malaysia during the F1 weekend.
Bottas now has an unusual challenge ahead of him: make it to Singapore, swap the gravel bike for his Cadillac, and somehow convince himself that a 350km bike ride was the relaxing option.
At least he can’t blame airport delays.