Bottas Escalade Stolen During Miami GP, Later Recovered

Valtteri Bottas, driver for the incoming Cadillac Formula 1 team, had his team-provided Cadillac Escalade stolen from the driveway of his Airbnb accommodation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, with his paddock pass left inside the vehicle.

The incident occurred on Saturday morning, just before Bottas needed to head to the Miami International Autodrome for sprint race activities and qualifying. Bottas recounted the events on his "What's Next?" podcast with Paul Ripke. He had chosen Fort Lauderdale over Miami or South Beach for its calmer atmosphere, lighter traffic and lower crime rate. "Fort Lauderdale is the same or even less of a distance to the track. There's a bit less traffic. That town is a bit more chill than Miami," he said.

After returning from Friday practice and sprint qualifying, Bottas parked the locked Escalade in the driveway, left the keys inside the house and retired early. His personal assistant, Paul Harris, who was staying at the same Airbnb, discovered the theft around 15 minutes before they planned to depart for the track. While Bottas was in the shower, Harris called him. "I'm like, 'Hello? Why are you calling me? I'm like...