We went gravel biking with Formula 1 star Valtteri Bottas and fell in love with Finland's trails

F1 driver Valtteri Bottas shows off his slice of gravel heaven, and some seriously fun groads

FNLD GRVL test event in Lahti. Photos by Thomas Maheux
(Image credit: Thomas Maheux)

I was late to the hype, but in the spring of this year, I finally downloaded some episodes of Netflix’s Drive to Survive episodes to watch on a flight. Besides growing up in the Netherlands and Germany during the Michael Schumacher heydays in the 90s and early aughts, when he and his Ferrari team became household names, I knew very little about Formula 1 racing. 

But between the show’s storytelling and illuminating insights on the athleticism and sportsmanship of motorsport, I was quickly hooked, binge-watching every episode and suddenly catching myself googling F1 race results over my Monday morning coffee.

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