Bottas cycles 350km from Sepang to Singapore after retiring from Malaysian GP

Valtteri Bottas is cycling 350 kilometres from Sepang to Singapore between back-to-back Formula 1 grands prix, having departed Malaysia on Sunday evening after retiring from the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit.

The Cadillac driver’s race lasted just nine laps. Having started on slick tyres on a damp track, Bottas spun into the gravel and brought out the safety car, ending his afternoon before it had properly begun.

“It was always going to be a risk starting on the slicks with the soft tyre compound and today, it didn’t quite pay off,” Bottas said in his post-race debrief. “When the race started and I saw how fast the cars with the intermediate tyres went through, you quickly realise the situation you’re in. We thought the track would dry quicker, and we thought it was worth trying something, but in the end it didn’t work out.”

He was candid about his own role in the retirement. “I took some risks trying to keep up with the pack and in the end it was my mistake that ended our race, and I can only apologise to the team for that.”

Rather than joining the rest of the paddock on a flight south, Bottas set off on his bike the same evening. He plans to complete the journey in stages, targeting arrival in Singapore ahead of Thursday’s mandatory media day at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Malaysian Grand Prix — won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen — was the first F1 race at Sepang since 2017.

The decision drew an amused response from fans online. “What’s more ridiculous is the rest of them are all flying. It’s about five hours by car, maybe stop somewhere nice on the way. See a bit more of the world than hotel-airport-track,” one fan wrote. Another added: “The fact he’s doing this between actual race weekends and not just for a stunt is the most Bottas thing ever.”

Bottas is a well-documented cycling enthusiast and has completed long-distance rides during F1 breaks before, though undertaking one between consecutive race weekends is a new level of commitment — even by his standards.