Valtteri Bottas chooses 350km bike ride over flight to Singapore Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas has traded air travel for a multi-day endurance ride to reach the next round on the F1 calendar.
After the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Cadillac Formula 1 Team driver Valtteri Bottas has decided to cycle from Sepang to Singapore ahead of the next Grand Prix.
Formula 1 returned to Malaysia and the Sepang International Circuit for the first time since 2017, as the circuit hosted the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix due to the ongoing war in Iran. The sport will now travel to Singapore next weekend for the demanding night race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Although most teams and drivers will be travelling via conventional commercial flights, Bottas has made the extreme decision to cycle all the way from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Singapore.
The 37-year-old Finnish driver will take on a daunting 350km cycle across the country, aiming to arrive in time for the start of official Grand Prix proceedings and Thursday’s mandatory media obligations in Singapore.
During his first day in the saddle, Bottas covered 56.6km, riding from Kuala Lumpur International Airport down toward Port Dickson.
Cycling is far from a simple hobby for the Finn, who regularly competes in high-level elite gravel bike events and frequently relies on long-distance endurance rides as a primary form of physical and mental training throughout the demanding F1 season.
Bottas previously achieved a single podium finish at the Singapore Grand Prix back in 2017, when he crossed the line in third place while driving for Mercedes.
After spending the 2025 campaign serving as a reserve driver, he returned to a full-time racing seat for the 2026 season alongside Mexican driver Sergio Perez to spearhead the brand-new American Cadillac squad.
However, his return to the grid has proven particularly tough so far. His best finish of the campaign remains a 13th-place result at the Chinese Grand Prix, and he currently sits 22nd in the World Drivers' Championship standings without scoring a single point.
His struggles continued in Malaysia, where he crashed out during the early stages of the race after taking a strategic risk on slick tyres on a wet track.
Bottas will certainly be hoping this grueling 350km journey helps clear his head and reset his focus ahead of the upcoming challenge in Singapore.
