Valtteri Bottas hits UK racing track after Emilia Romagna GP cancellation

El casco de Bottas para el test de pretemporada — Photo: © LAT Images

Valtteri Bottas

Bottas hits UK track to race after Emilia Romagna GP cancellation

The Finn has quickly got himself signed up for another event this weekend, albeit not in an F1 car

Joe Ellis

Saturday 20 May 2023 14:57 Updated: 17:47

Valtteri Bottas is not letting the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix stop him from racing this weekend.

The Finnish F1 star has a keen interest in cycling thanks to his girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell, who is a professional cyclist herself.

A surprise weekend without F1 has opened the door for Bottas, 33, to get his teeth stuck into two-wheeled competition with a gravel event in the UK.

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The Alfa Romeo driver posted on his Instagram page with a simple "race day" caption although it wasn't the race day he was expecting this weekend.

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A post shared by Valtteri Bottas (@valtteribottas)

World Series

It's not like Bottas is just entering any kind of charity cycle event, he's going straight in at the deep end with round seven of the UCI Gravel World Series.

Scotland's Gatehouse of Fleet will host the seventh round of the 2023 series, consisting of a gruelling 110-kilometre course over rough gravel roads.

Bottas and Cromwell are both more accustomed to road cycling for their training although the Australian pro does have experience racing on rough going.

The race also consists of around 2,000 metres of climbing through the Galloway Forest which should provide an equal challenge to the Imola circuit Bottas should have been racing around.