During the summer F1 break, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas took part in a cycling event in Colorado, where he showed up dressed as the Simpsons character ‘Duffman.’ However, speaking to Speedcafe, the Finnish driver revealed his original idea was to dress up as someone else but chose Duffman as it gave him a competitive edge over the others.
The gamble paid off as Bottas won the fancy dress event sub-event and, as a result, won his weight in beer as the prize. However, the former Mercedes driver only kept a six-pack for himself, choosing to donate the rest of the beer to the spectators.
Bottas believes had he gone dressed up as his favorite Simpsons character, he wouldn’t have fared as well as he did dressed as Duffman.
Valtteri Bottas reveals why he did not dress up as Homer Simpson
Speedcafe asked Bottas about his cycling escapades in Colorado while also touching upon why the Finnish chose to dress up as Duffman from Simpsons. The 33-year-old replied he did it all for the beer that was up for grabs in the fancy dress competition.
“Because the prize for the best costume was your weight in beer, and I really wanted to win the prize! I was thinking about it, obviously being mainly an American crowd, so I went for The Simpsons and Duffman. I would still go for Homer. But I had to figure out with the costume whether I’d still be able to cycle up the hill, and Homer would have been a bit tricky.”
Seeing what Bottas has been up to during the summer break, it is safe to say he hasn’t had the most common of summer breaks for an F1 driver. While others were busy spending time with their family or going on vacation, a fancy dress competition with beer as first prize topped Bottas’ priority list.
Bottas has been much more relaxed at Alfa Romeo
Shining more light on his Colorado antics, Bottas revealed he would never have done something similar like this if he were still a Mercedes driver. Given he was a rookie when he was at Mercedes, the Finnish feels he would have attracted a lot of questions about his credibility.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas And Zhou Guanyu Take The Start Stop Challenge https://t.co/rekYdCWXqV pic.twitter.com/6Ltg9zrVan
— Formula Report (@Formula_Report) August 18, 2023
However, having been around for a while now, the Alfa Romeo driver feels much more comfortable in his skin and doesn’t mind sharing his lighter side.
The team environment and stability have greatly helped Bottas get more comfortable with things. He says he is happy with making fun of himself and also finds amusement in sharing things like the news about the fancy dress competition.
