[Saba Sports News] Valtteri Bottas encountered a bizarre incident during the F1 Miami Grand Prix. His Cadillac was stolen from the private driveway of a vacation rental home in Fort Lauderdale, prompting even the FBI to launch an investigation. Bottas shared this strange experience on the podcast Next Step co-hosted with Paul Ripke. He revealed that he used to stay in downtown Miami and South Beach when competing in the Miami Grand Prix. This time he chose Fort Lauderdale instead, for it is closer to the circuit with less traffic congestion, and features a quieter and more down-to-earth urban vibe.
The day before the race, he returned to the accommodation as usual, parked his car in the private driveway, had a simple dinner and went to bed early. He kept the car keys indoors and locked the vehicle properly. On Saturday morning when he was about to head to the track, his friend Paul Harris who stayed with him suddenly called to tell him the car was gone.
Bottas had to find alternative transport to the racetrack. Fortunately, the brand quickly arranged a Cadillac Escalade to send them to their destination. Since event access credentials were left inside the stolen car, local police and the FBI attached great importance to the case to stop suspects from sneaking into the circuit in the vehicle. Luckily, the car thieves had no interest in Formula 1 events at all. The FBI later found the abandoned car in a high-crime neighborhood. Bottas suspected the culprits only used his car as a getaway vehicle for another crime and dumped it after use.
In my opinion, this incident mainly exposes personal security risks faced by high-net-worth individuals during major sports events, rather than flaws in vehicle safety. Cadillac has not issued any official statement regarding the theft, yet the case has objectively raised public attention toward the brand.