Most Formula 1 drivers leave a Grand Prix by car, plane or, if they are feeling particularly committed to the cause, a very comfortable private jet.
Valtteri Bottas apparently had other plans.
The Finnish driver, already well known for his love of cycling, has taken on a rather unusual journey between two F1 race weekends. After competing at the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, Bottas got straight onto his bike and started riding towards Singapore, where the F1 action returns this week.
Yes, he is cycling from Malaysia to Singapore.
The journey covers roughly 320 kilometres, turning the short trip between two neighbouring Grand Prix destinations into a serious endurance challenge of its own.
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From the Sepang Circuit to Singapore by Bike
Bottas began his ride immediately after the Malaysian Grand Prix, which was won by Max Verstappen. Unfortunately, the race did not go his way, with the Finn failing to finish.
Rather than calling it a day, Bottas climbed onto his Canyon gravel bike and rode his first 56 kilometres, much of it in darkness.
The following day brought another sizeable effort, with Bottas covering more than 160 kilometres. That leaves him with just over 100 kilometres to complete before arriving in Singapore.
There is, of course, a deadline.
While the drivers return to their F1 cars on Friday, Thursday is already a mandatory media day. So Bottas is effectively racing the clock before the Singapore Grand Prix weekend properly gets underway.
Bottas, F1 Driver and Gravel Cycling Fan
For anyone who follows Bottas outside Formula 1, the cycling detour is perhaps less surprising.
The Mercedes and Sauber veteran is a serious gravel cyclist and has competed at a high level away from the racetrack. Earlier this year, he qualified for the UCI Gravel World Championships, which are taking place in Nannup, Australia, during the same weekend as the Singapore Grand Prix.
That means Bottas has had to choose four wheels over two for now.
And while most drivers spend their race weekends thinking about tyre strategy, lap times and podiums, Bottas has managed to build a rather different reputation in the cycling world too.
Cycling Runs in the Family
Bottas’ passion for cycling also has a family connection.
His wife, Tiffany Cromwell, is an accomplished professional cyclist who finished fifth at the 2014 Road World Championships and ninth at the Tour of Flanders that same year.
Cromwell has since turned more of her attention towards gravel racing, making the couple something of a cycling power duo.
Singapore, See You Soon!
By the time Bottas reaches Singapore, he will have covered hundreds of kilometres by bike before even getting back into an F1 car.
It is certainly not the usual way to arrive for a Grand Prix.
For Singapore, however, it makes for a fitting prelude to race weekend. The city is about to welcome the world’s fastest drivers, and one of them may arrive having already completed his own race before the lights even go out.
