Valtteri Bottas experienced an eventful race weekend in Miami. The Finn discovered on Saturday morning – just before the sprint race at the Miami International Autodrome – that his Cadillac, with his paddock pass still inside, had been stolen. A day later the car was found again, and even the FBI got involved in the theft: ‘That has never happened to me in my life,’ Bottas says.
Read more Verstappen ends first day, defies the darkness on soaking wet Nürburgring
Valtteri Bottas had a turbulent Grand Prix weekend in Miami. Although the Finn did not get further than eighteenth place during the main event on Sunday, a whole race was needed a day earlier just to arrive on time at the circuit. His car for the weekend, a Cadillac Escalade, was stolen on Saturday morning at his Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale.
“So Friday we came back as usual, drove our car up the driveway, ate something quickly and went to bed early. The car keys are inside the house. The car is locked,” Bottas starts in his What’s Next? podcast. “I couldn’t believe it. I went outside (Saturday, ed.) and opened the door. The Escalade was gone. The keys are still inside, on the table. I thought: ‘How can our car be stolen from the driveway of our Airbnb?’ Luckily, they sent another Escalade that took us to the circuit, and then I thought: ‘Oh no, my paddock pass was in the car.’ I didn’t have a paddock pass.”
FBI
The Finnish driver was still able to drive the sprint and qualifying session on Saturday in Miami. The next day his Escalade was found again. “The car was found abandoned,” reveals Bottas, who also confirms that the FBI got involved. According to the Cadillac driver, the car was found in ‘an area with a lot of crime’. “So the police and the FBI got involved only for this reason.”
“Apparently they probably committed a crime with the car and then abandoned it,” Bottas concludes. “So I think it was definitely a getaway car or something. It’s a shame we lost the car, but it’s kind of cool. That has never happened to me in my life.”
Read more Former Ferrari engineer fears ‘negative spiral’ for Scuderia after disappointing Miami GP
Read everything about the Canadian GP here
