SINGAPORE — Most Formula 1 drivers heading from Malaysia to Singapore this week will take the quickest available route. Valtteri Bottas has chosen something very different: a bicycle.
The 37-year-old Cadillac driver is cycling roughly 350 kilometres from Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia to Singapore ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, turning the journey between back-to-back F1 races into a three-day endurance ride.
Bottas began the unusual trip after retiring from Sunday’s race at Sepang. Rather than flying or driving south, the Finnish driver climbed onto his gravel race bicycle and began making his way toward Singapore.
He has been documenting the journey on social media, including footage of himself cycling along dirt and gravel tracks at night with a headlamp or torch lighting his way.
From F1 retirement to a 350km bike ride
Bottas’ cycling adventure began shortly after his disappointing outing at Sepang on Oct. 4.
He spun into the gravel during the wet race and was unable to continue, adding another difficult result to a challenging season for Cadillac. AP reported that the incident marked Bottas’ eighth DNF of the 2026 season, with the driver still searching for his first championship points of the year.
Instead of simply moving on to the next race by conventional transport, Bottas decided to make the approximately 350-km journey under his own power.
A Cadillac team spokeswoman said the ride was expected to take three days, allowing Bottas to reach Singapore in time for his scheduled media commitments on Thursday. Practice for the Singapore Grand Prix begins Friday.
The ride is being completed partly on roads and partly on gravel and off-road sections.
Bottas is no stranger to endurance sports
While cycling hundreds of kilometres between two F1 races might seem extreme, Bottas is an experienced cyclist and endurance-sports enthusiast.
The Finn regularly rides bicycles and has participated in competitive cycling events. His Australian partner, Tiffany Cromwell, is a professional road and gravel cyclist and has also joined him for training rides.
Cromwell had shared footage of the pair training around the Sepang coast and nearby palm-oil plantations before the journey began.
Bottas has previously taken his interest in endurance sports well beyond recreational cycling. In 2024, he completed a full-distance Ironman triathlon, involving a 3.9-km swim, 180.2-km bicycle ride and 42.2-km run.
He also competed at the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships and qualified for the 2026 edition, although he will miss this year’s event because it coincides with the Singapore Grand Prix.
He is sharing the journey along the way
Bottas’ unusual trip has quickly attracted attention online, with the driver sharing updates from the road.
His Strava activity was reportedly labelled “Malaysia to Singapore Day 1”, while Instagram footage showed him navigating sections of the route in darkness.
The journey has also given him opportunities to experience parts of Malaysia away from the F1 circuit.
Reports said Bottas passed through areas including Melaka, with his ride taking him along gravel routes and through local roads before continuing south toward Singapore. He has also stopped to sample local food during the trip.
By Oct. 5, he had completed a further 161.91 km over 5 hours and 45 minutes, after covering 56.6 km during his first stage, according to The Straits Times.
A very different way to prepare for Singapore
The ride comes immediately before one of the most physically demanding races on the F1 calendar.
The Singapore Grand Prix, held around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, is known for its intense heat, humidity and demanding street layout. Drivers spend much of the race in hot and physically taxing conditions despite the event being held at night.
Bottas’ cycling journey therefore provides a highly unconventional form of preparation — although the 350-km effort also carries its own physical demands.
His decision has nevertheless fit a familiar pattern for the F1 veteran, who has maintained a strong connection with cycling throughout his racing career.
Singapore awaits
Bottas is expected to arrive in Singapore in time for the start of the official race-weekend schedule.
The Singapore Grand Prix’s media activities begin on Oct. 8, followed by the first practice session on Oct. 9. The race itself is scheduled for the weekend.
His arrival will mark a sharp change of scenery — from gravel roads and rural Malaysian routes to the illuminated streets of Marina Bay.
For Bottas, however, the journey has already become one of the more unusual stories of this year’s Formula 1 season.
After ending his Sepang race early, the Cadillac driver chose not to simply fly to the next destination. Instead, he turned the trip into a 350-km cycling challenge, combining his passion for endurance sports with his journey to the Singapore Grand Prix.
With his bike carrying him from Sepang toward Marina Bay, Bottas is quite literally taking the long way to his next F1 race.
