Valtteri Bottas explains why he combines cycling with Formula 1: "It is not a fair sport"

Valtteri Bottas, Formula 1 driver and a big cycling enthusiast, has offered his take on the differences between these two sports in a recent interview on the podcast Pitlane Life Lessons with Marc Priestley. Bottas, known for both his driving skills and his passion for cycling, compared the differences between both worlds, highlighting the 'injustices' he sees in Formula 1 contrasted with the fairness he finds in cycling. In fact, as a sign of his love for bicycles, he was seen at this year's Monaco Grand Prix with a prototype of the Canyon 2025.

Bottas is a big cycling enthusiast

The Finnish driver, who currently races for the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber team, explained that one of the reasons he enjoys cycling so much is because it's a sport where "you, as a human being, are the engine, you are the machine". In his opinion, while professional cycling also involves bike development, it can't be compared to the technological dependence of Formula 1.

"In Formula 1, 90% is the car and 10% is the driver; in cycling it's almost the other way around," Bottas explained, citing a conversation with a former member of the Jaguar F1 team who switched to management in the cycling world.

“The fuel comes from the legs," Bottas said about cycling. However, the Formula 1 driver wanted to make it clear that it's not that the motorsport doesn't value the human aspect, as he stated that it's important. "It's not that the 10 percent the driver contributes is less important, because without the complete package, you don't win."

Bottas, who has achieved 10 wins and 67 podiums throughout his F1 career, is also the co-founder of FNLD GRVL, a gravel cycling event in Lahti, Finland, organized together with his partner, professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell. The event is aimed at promoting cycling in his home country. The Finn is often seen on the circuits where he competes, training with his bike by doing laps around the track.

The driver explained that he sees cycling as a balancing factor in his life, an activity where he highlighted that "at least at the starting line, all competitors have more or less the same opportunities to excel", something that "contrasts" with the high team and technology dependence in Formula 1.

Bottas concluded the interview by stating that cycling offers him a sense of fairness that he doesn't always find in motorsport. "With Formula 1, you need the car and the team to succeed. It's not a fair sport, that's for sure. Cycling sometimes feels more fair, and that's why I enjoy it. It's almost like a balancing factor," the driver affirmed.