Valtteri Bottas is cycling 350 kilometres from Malaysia to Singapore for this weekend’s Grand Prix, choosing the road over a short flight. The Cadillac driver began the journey just hours after spinning out of Sunday’s chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix, held at Sepang outside Kuala Lumpur as a one-off. He is travelling with his partner, professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, and must be in Singapore for media commitments on Thursday.

Much of the route is off-road and on gravel. On Monday, the second day of the ride, Bottas spent nearly six hours cycling and covered 161.91 kilometres. Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit will bring heat and humidity this weekend.

The 37-year-old Finn has made cycling a major pursuit away from Formula 1, often sharing training rides and races with Cromwell. He qualified for the Gravel World Championships after placing fifth in his age group at an off-road qualifying event in the Czech Republic during F1’s summer break. The championships fall on the same weekend as the Singapore Grand Prix, so Bottas will not be able to take up his place.

Bottas is also closely involved with FNLD GRVL, a race held each summer in his native Finland. When the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was cancelled in 2023, he used the time to compete in a gravel race in Scotland.

His cycling trip comes during a difficult return to F1 with new team Cadillac. Bottas is 22nd in the drivers’ standings, has not scored a point after 16 Grands Prix and has failed to finish eight races. The ride from Malaysia is another in a series of cycling-related endeavours alongside his racing career.

Based on reporting by BBC Sport.