Formula 1 Superstar Valtteri Bottas Is Cycling From Malaysia to Singapore for His Next Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas is decompressing from a disappointing DNF at Sunday’s Grand Prix in Malaysia by cycling some 350km to his next race.

It’s not the usual way Formula 1 drivers choose to recover from the mind-zapping fatigue and furnace-like conditions of a 300kph race in stormy Southeast Asia.

But it’s the way that F1’s elite gravel cycling convert has decided will work for him.

On Sunday night, Bottas completed “Leg 1” of a multi-day adventure ride toward this coming weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

The 37-year-old Cadillac driver had spun out on lap nine of a wet and wild race on the Sepang International Circuit on Sunday, which was being used as a substitute venue for the originally planned race in Bahrain.

Not long after stripping out of his overalls, Bottas clocked 56km in little more than two hours of night-time riding heading southeast toward Si Rusa.

The veteran car driver and Canyon bikes ambassador posted a video to Instagram showing him bumping his way across gravelly trails, followed by a #foodporn photo of a boutique dinner upon arrival in the popular tourist spot on the Malaysian coast.

With a base salary of around $5 million USD, Bottas hardly needs to “dirtbag” his journey, after all.

‘I use the bike as a stress release’

Bottas is famed for his off-the-racetrack exploits.

He’s been riding bikes for years and more recently integrated into the gravel racing scene through his partner, Tiffany Cromwell. He’s scored podium finishes at SBT Gravel and the Belgium Waffle Ride, and helped establish the FNLD GRVL event.

Bottas told his sponsors at Canyon earlier this year that he sees the bike as good for both his body and his mind.

“When I’m on my bike, I gain cardio, but I also use the bike almost like a stress release, you know? In a way, it’s a great way to clear my head if I have a bit of stress, and a chance to explore,” he said.

“It’s also a way for me to challenge myself when I’m not racing in my car. And when I miss racing, then I race on my bicycle.”

And while Bottas hasn’t spoken publicly about his trans-Grands Prix adventure this week, he must see it as a timely pressure release.

The long-time bike lover qualified for the UCI Gravel World Championships in Australia on October 11 after he finished fifth in his age group at the gravel world series event in Hlinsko, Czech Republic.

However, the champs had to go on ice for Bottas.

They clash directly with the approaching Singapore GP, where he and his Cadillac teammate Sergio Pérez will chase some much-needed points to claw their way out of the bottom of the F1 drivers’ championship.