Bottas dodges cobra, python and dog on 418km bike ride from Malaysia to Singapore
Cadillac driver trades one-hour paddock flight for four-day jungle adventure
Valtteri Bottas has arrived in Singapore after an incident-packed 418km cycle ride from last weekend's race in Malaysia — leaping over lizards, dodging cobras and pythons, and being chased by a dog along the way.
The 37-year-old Finn, who has won 10 grands prix, undertook the four-day journey on two wheels rather than the one-hour flight most of the F1 paddock took from Sepang, near Kuala Lumpur, to this weekend's night race on the street circuit in Singapore. The idea came from his girlfriend, the Australian Olympic cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.
Bottas set off on the Sunday after spinning out of the Malaysian Grand Prix, covering 56km that day before two 161km stints on Monday and Tuesday and a 40km finale on Wednesday to complete the 419km (260-mile) trip.
Speaking before Sunday's night race, Bottas described the wildlife encounters in vivid detail.
"Saw some snakes, which I was a little bit worried about but actually they were pretty chill. They were just doing their thing," he said. "I saw one cobra, saw one python just crossing the path in front of me. Saw some of those big lizards that you also see here. One was on the path, I had to jump over it with a bike. So I saw it like last minute. Got chased by one dog. Got stuck behind a group of cows on a small track. Eventually they moved away."
The Finn admitted the ride was gruelling but said the night sections through the jungle were the most memorable.
"What was the wildest part was the riding at night in the jungle. The noise in there is like … your mind starts to play games of what is out there. But then you just need to crack on and keep going. Riding with your lights at night, that was probably the most epic part in the forest," he said.
Bottas is no stranger to competitive cycling. Earlier this year he finished fifth in his age group at a qualifying event in Czechia (the Czech Republic) for the Gravel World Championships, earning a place he cannot take up because the event clashes with this weekend's Singapore GP. When the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was cancelled in 2023, Bottas used the free time to compete in a gravel race in Scotland.
The heat took its toll — Bottas joked his bike seat felt like a "cheese grater" — but he insisted the effort would not hamper his race preparations.
"I obviously wouldn't do it if I knew it hurt my preparation," he said. "So I'm pretty good. The amount of sweat in those days was quite impressive. You get used to the heat the more time you spend in the heat, so that can help me hopefully a little bit."
Cadillac are in their first season in F1 and still finding their feet. Bottas is yet to score a point and sits 22nd of 23 in the drivers' standings, with eight DNFs in a campaign always expected to be difficult for the fledgling team.
The Sepang race was a one-off stand-in for the cancelled Bahrain GP, but with talks reportedly opening about a potential return for the circuit, Bottas hinted he might repeat the feat. "When I got to the hotel yesterday afternoon, I said to myself, no, not again. But now, today, I'm like, yeah. Let's see."