From Formula 1 driver to the Gravel World Championship

No, Valtteri Bottas is not going to stop driving single-seaters in Formula 1. However, the Finnish driver has long been a passionate practitioner of gravel biking and this past Saturday, after finishing sixth in the Swartberg 100 Gravel Series race, held in South Africa, he secured his spot to compete in the Gravel World Championship next October in Belgium.

Valtteri Bottas achieves his first goal of the season and it's not driving a car

Most drivers in the world of motorsport include cycling as part of their intense physical preparation, necessary to drive a car at high speed on a circuit. But having a true passion for this sport is a big leap. A hobby that Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas from Kick Sauber has been demonstrating for some time, as he is a faithful gravel biking enthusiast.

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Bottas' hobby is enhanced by the fact that his partner is professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell from Canyon//SRAM, with whom he is often seen sharing bike rides in the posts they both make on social media.

Last fall, Bottas stated that he intended to qualify for the 2024 Gravel World Championship, something the driver achieved this weekend with a sixth place finish in the Swartberg 100, a 170 km race with a whopping 2,900 m of accumulated elevation, in which the Finn participated alongside Tiffany Cromwell.

Valtteri Bottas barely made the cut as spots are awarded to the top 6 riders in each category, with the driver falling into the 35 to 29 age group where he had to compete against 24 other participants. Tiffany Cromwell, who competed alongside him, was the winner in her category.

Bottas and Cromwell are fully involved in gravel biking and even organize a race in this discipline, the FNLD GRVL, held in Lahti, Valtteri Bottas' hometown in Finland.