Cadillac F1 driver Valtteri Bottas arrives in Singapore after cycling over 419km from Malaysia

SINGAPORE – Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas made his entrance to the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix in style on Oct 7 after cycling more than 419km over four days from Sepang.

The Cadillac driver took the internet by storm after confirming that he was making the journey on the road and gravel after the Bahrain GP in Malaysia concluded on Oct 4.

Since then, he has been posting daily updates of his ride on social media with clips of the terrain he is cycling on.

His journey has brought him face to face with monkeys, through trails in the dark illuminated by just his headlamp, and also down Melaka’s iconic Jonker Street.

He has also taken the time to enjoy local cuisine such as chicken rice balls and satay.

He covered 56.6km in just over two hours on Oct 4, and 161.91km over 5hr 45min on Oct 5. He completed another 161km in 5½ hours on Oct 6 before the final 40.16km leg the next day.

On Oct 7, he posted a video of the Causeway filmed at 2.22pm and two hours later, he was cycling down Beach Road before being presented with a “certificate of completion” by The Ritz-Carlton, Millennia Singapore, marking the end of his 419.67km journey.

Bottas arrives just in time for pre-race media activities on Oct 8 and ahead of the Singapore GP’s first practice session on Oct 9.

Perhaps the extra bout of endurance training will pay off for him as a sprint race will take place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the first time on Oct 10, before the main race under the floodlights on Oct 11.

Bottas’ best finish in Singapore was third in 2017 when he was driving for Mercedes. At his last appearance in Marina Bay in 2024, he was 16th for Sauber.

Laura Chia is a journalist covering breaking news and current affairs, with an interest in sports.