The Formula One break often sees drivers relax during a rare gap in the congested calendar, taking some time away from their busy careers or booking a holiday to experience a new country.
Valtteri Bottas, however, has taken a completely different approach and endured almost six hours of torment during the UCI Gravel World Championships.
The decorated Finn has made no secret of his love for cycling and Bottas took on a unique event, where professionals such as Mathieu van der Poel and Matej Mohoric competed alongside amateur riders such as the 35-year-old F1 driver.
He announced plans to attend the race last year and Bottas secured qualification in South Africa in April, where he finished sixth in his age group to earn a place at the finals in Belgium.
Bottas and his partner Tiffany Cromwell both took their starts in the cycling heartland of Flanders, where the F1 driver finished a credible 133rd out of 247 participants in his 35-39 age group.
He completed the 182km course between Halle and Leuven in five hours and 40 minutes, an hour slower than Elite category winner Van der Poel. Cromwell finished 25th in the Elite women’s event after an early puncture.
Speaking ahead of the race, Bottas said that he was feeling “more nervous than before an F1 race”. But that was due to the length of time it takes to complete the race, adding: “Because I know it will last six hours.
“But that’s why I’m here. I want to enjoy it to the max. This is the perfect way to escape from the hectic Formula One world for a while.”
After completing the gruelling task, Bottas took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote: “Completed it! Gravel WC done. It was hard as expected! With the huge amount of people attending, queueing up for the single track sections in the beginning, and having to fix a puncture 5km before the finish, I was well happy with my day on the bike otherwise.
“Thank you for all the support on the course, it was unreal! And thank you for the best support leading up and during the event to everyone involved. I’ll definitely remember this day!”
Cycling has proven to be a welcome distraction for Bottas, who sits joint-bottom of the F1 Drivers’ Championship. He is one of three drivers not to claim a single point this season after 18 races, alongside his Sauber team-mate Zhou Guanyu and Logan Sargeant who was axed by Williams last month.
Bottas’ future in the sport remains unclear, with the veteran among those in contention to race alongside Nico Hulkenberg for Audi in 2025.