F1 driver’s car stolen and then dumped as FBI gets involved over what was left inside

F1 racer Valtteri Bottas has told the incredible story of how his Cadillac Escalade was stolen during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, and why the FBI got involved in the case

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Valtteri Bottas had a more stressful weekend in Miami than expected(Image: David Buono/Action Plus/Shutterstock)

Valtteri Bottas has recounted the bizarre tale of how his vehicle was nicked during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. Inside the Cadillac Escalade seized by criminals in Florida was also his Formula 1 Paddock Pass, the Finnish driver disclosed on the latest instalment of his What’s Next podcast.

Bottas explained how he had opted to stay in Fort Lauderdale, north of the circuit around Hard Rock Stadium, instead of in Miami to dodge the heaviest traffic in the latter city throughout the F1 weekend. Yet that choice resulted in a stressful Saturday morning for the Cadillac racer.

Bottas described how he had rented an AirBnb “in a nice area, with a low crime rate”. But despite the car keys being kept inside the property, and the vehicle itself being locked, the Finn was alerted that something was amiss while he was in the shower before heading to the track for the Sprint race and Grand Prix qualifying.

The racer said: “I was in the shower, and then Paul Harris, who also stayed in the AirBnb, is calling me. ‘The car is gone’. I couldn’t believe it. I went outside, opened the door and the Escalade has vanished.

“Obviously, I was going to be late for the track, because we had to find another way of transport Luckily, they sent another Escalade which 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, but we found a solution for that.”

It wasn’t as simple as that, however, as it turned out the lost paddock pass, along with the stickers on the windscreen of the car which allowed it to park on site at the Miami International Autodrome, was enough of a security concern that federal investigators took an interest in the case.

Bottas continued: “The FBI got involved, full investigation. But [the thief] had all the opportunities for that day, with the VIP parking. Walk to the paddock, sign in, go to the team.

“The next day, the car was found, dumped somewhere in a dodgy area, a high-crime area. So the police and FBI got involved, for this reason: We had the parking pass, so somebody could have driven the car to the track, they had my pass.

“But [the thief] obviously wasn’t interested about the F1 race. 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… but it’s pretty cool! It’s never happened to me in my life.

“We got a replacement car, and identical Escalade. But then we were like, ‘Are they going to get this one as well? Because now they know that it seems pretty easy’. So we had to get a security guy in for the AirBnb from 7pm to 7am, armed with a full vest, kit and everything. I think the neighbours were wondering what was going on. But it was all good.”