Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas has revealed that he had his loaned Cadillac Escalade stolen from the Fort Lauderdale property he was staying in during the Miami Grand Prix weekend earlier this month.
On Thursday, Bottas revealed on the ‘What’s Next?’ podcast he hosts with the photographer Paul Ripke, that the road car had been stolen ahead of the Miami sprint race, that was won by McLaren driver Lando Norris. Bottas, a 10-time grand prix winner, finished 19th and last of the classified finishers.
The theft left Bottas, 36, requiring alternative transport to complete the 20-mile journey to the track at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and his paddock pass was stolen.
“It was pretty wild,” Bottas said of the situation. “(I stayed) in a nice area — nice little neighborhood, low crime rates.
“(I) got back Friday as normal. Drove our car to the driveway, had a quick dinner, early bed (time). Car keys are inside the house, car is locked.
“I wake up Saturday morning. I was in the shower about 15 minutes before leaving for the track. And then Paul Harris (who assists Bottas across F1 weekends), who also stayed in the AirBnB in the room next door, is calling me.
Bottas said Harris then informed him the car had been stolen, despite the keys still being inside the AirBnB.
“Obviously, I was going to be late (to) the track because we had to find another way of transport,” he continued. “But luckily they sent another Escalade. It took us to the track, and then I was like, ‘Oh, my paddock pass was in the car.’ I didn’t have a paddock pass.”
When informed of the theft, and given the loss of Bottas’s paddock pass — an item required to be worn by anyone wishing to access the central area of each F1 event — the in-house security system of the London-based Formula One Management swung into action.
This system is installed at every race F1 visits and tracks who is scheduled access the track, as well as when they attempt to swipe into access gates using their credentials. These are linked to a central hub that matches the person possessing the pass with personal details, including a picture of the person named on the pass.
It is also used to enforce one area of F1’s sporting rules, which prohibits team staff from working on the cars at specific points of the weekend unless exemptions are granted. This is aimed at reducing fatigue levels for staff critical for car operations across the long F1 season. If a team member involved in car operations swipes into the paddock during a restricted period, the squad involved will have to explain the protocol breach to the stewards.
But had anyone attempted to use Bottas’ cancelled pass to access the Miami paddock, it would not have activated the access gates that are installed throughout every F1 race. This would have required security guards stationed at each turnstile to step in and investigate.
Bottas finished 18th in the grand prix (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
In this episode, local law enforcement had been called to the scene of the theft.
A FOM official told The Athletic, “F1 security was informed as soon as the theft was discovered, and the pass was immediately deactivated.
“Local and sometimes national agencies are routinely deployed at F1 events in the United States based on the Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) ratings and strategic importance of grands prix. In Miami, F1 Security collaborate continuously with all law enforcement agencies supporting the event.
“Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation we won’t be commenting further.”
Cadillac declined to comment when contacted by The Athletic. Fort Lauderdale Police Department has also been approached for comment.
Bottas later said the car had been found abandoned.
“Apparently, they probably just did a crime with the car and dumped it. So, in my mind, it must have been like a getaway car or something. It’s sad that we lost the car, but it’s pretty cool. It’s never happened to me in my life.”
Bottas also said he and his support team gave presents to his temporary neighbors to apologize for the disturbance around the theft and subsequent police investigation.