An F1 pilot leaks a new Canyon Aeroad

Valtteri Bottas, the most cycling driver on the Formula 1 grid and also ambassador of Canyon, was seen during the last Monaco GP with a Canyon Aeroad with some modifications compared to the one currently used by riders like Mathieu van der Poel, which could indicate the imminent launch of a new version.

Valtteri Bottas pedals in the Monaco GP with a different Canyon Aeroad than the current one

Social media once again shows us things that brands often don't want us to see yet, or, on the contrary, sometimes they want to hint at an upcoming release to start creating hype around it.

It may be the case of the Canyon Aeroad that Valtteri Bottas was riding, the Formula 1 driver who is also a passionate cyclist, so much so that he has already qualified to compete in the Gravel World Championship next October, in addition to being an ambassador for the German brand and SRAM.

The bike that Valtteri Bottas was seen riding during the last Monaco GP seems to have a new handlebar that incorporates the Gear Grove system, with which Canyon integrates different supports for cycle computers, lights, etc. in the same handlebar used for gravel. However, it is not that handlebar as it has road dimensions and not the generous flare of that model.

In the frame, there are also subtle differences compared to the current model. The most relevant is the redesign of the junction between the seat stays and the seat tube, which now do not connect individually but merge with each other before reaching the tube to which they are anchored more continuously, probably for aerodynamic reasons.

There also seems to be more material at the intersection between the seat tube and the top tube, a tweak that would also have an aerodynamic motivation.

The personalized decoration for the Finnish driver with the colors of his Kick Sauber team is also noticeable. In any case, Bottas' bike does not seem to be a new model in itself but an evolution of the existing Canyon Aeroad that we will probably see in the upcoming races like the Critérium du Dauphiné or in the Tour de France, events where teams usually introduce new equipment, on the legs of cyclists like those from Alpecin-Deceuninck or Movistar Team.