David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas (77) during a practice session before the Lenovo Grand Prix Du Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. In the second photo, he arrives to the paddock of the circuit via bicycle.
On Sunday afternoon, Cadillac Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas finished last in the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia after crashing out of the race on lap nine.
If that sentence seemed bizarre to you, I assure you this story isn’t going to get any more normal moving forward, so buckle up.
After the race ended, Bottas had around 96 hours to get to Marina Bay in Singapore in time for the drivers’ press conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. Sounds simple enough. After all, most drivers will take a private plane or a car service to traverse the 213 miles between the two locations.
In fact, a flight between the two locations would take a little over an hour. Meanwhile, it would be just around a four-hour car ride.
But Bottas, a 37-year-old who has won 10 races in Formula 1, is far from your average Formula 1 driver.
Valtteri Bottas Is, Yet Again, Doing Things His Way
In the absence of former Australian star, Bottas is undeniably the biggest character in the Formula 1 paddock. Whether it’s posing nude at various locations around the world or appearing at random Las Vegas weddings, Bottas is always up to something.
One thing he’s become most notable for is his cycling. Since 2020, Bottas has been in a relationship with Australian professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell. He’s also taken up the sport in his own right, competing in gravel races across the world.
So, what better way to get from Sepang to Singapore than to cycle?
That’s right. Bottas, who makes millions of dollars a year, is riding his bike over 200 miles in just a handful of days in order to get from one race to another.
And because it wouldn’t be Valtteri Bottas otherwise, he’s also documenting the trip on social media.
Just to make matters even more impressive, Bottas isn’t just cycling from one circuit to another. He’s gravel cycling. That means that in addition to taking roads and paved paths, Bottas is cycling through the forests and jungles of Malaysia through the night to reach Singapore.
Those forests and jungles contain Malayan tigers and African elephants, among numerous other dangerous animals. But again, there’s no way that Bottas would rather have it. Which is exactly why Valtteri Bottas is one of a kind in the Formula 1 paddock.