Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas shifts gears, secures podium outside Formula One
Valtteri Bottas secures his first podium of the year but it isn’t Formula One
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Valtteri Bottas (via IMAGO)
After the Formula One doubleheader in Monaco and Spain, Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas took part in a cycling race in his hometown. He competed in a 77km bike race in Lahti, Finland. Bottas competed in a mostly gravel cycling course that lasted for 2 hours and 36 minutes. He finally beat Emily Shields by 10 seconds to finish the race in 3rd place.
His partner Tiffany Cromwell however, took part in the more advanced 177km race, which Valtteri opted out of. After being introduced to cycling by his partner Tiffany Cromwell, the Finn often indulges in this hobby. Bottas was even seen competing in a cycling race in the UK after the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Bottas entered a race in Scotland amid the canceled race at Imola. Professional cyclist Cromwell led the female category 4 minutes after 151km of the 177 km. Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas’ race ended with Quentin Valognes winning.
Was It damage or cycling distractions? Former F1 driver jokes about Valtteri’s mixed priorities at the Spanish GP
After exiting from Mercedes, Valtteri has frequently participated in cycling tournaments with his partner. Some believe that may be the reason behind Bottas’ poor run of form with Alfa Romeo. After the Spanish Grand Prix, Bottas was seen out-paced by his teammate yet again. Ex-F1 driver David Coulthard however, was not afraid to voice that opinion.
After the race at Barcelona, Coulthard had some words for the Alfa Romeo drivers. “Zhou is of course a talented guy, but today either there was a problem with Valtteri’s car or he was still thinking about some cycling race or something,” Coulthard told Viaplay. After incurring damage to his car, Bottas finished the Spanish Grand Prix in P19, while his teammate Zhou Guanyu went on to classify in 9th scoring 2 points for the team.
Bottas and Zhou both are out of contract for the 2024 season. Audi’s merger with Sauber is only a few years ahead; one cannot help but wonder will Bottas and Zhou’s 2023 performance have an impact on the German company’s driver lineup for 2026. With both the drivers scoring 4 points each, Alfa Romeo is currently P8 in the constructors’ standings.
In case you missed it:
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Justin P Joy
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