Bottas reveals FBI investigation into Cadillac theft at Miami GP
Photo: Race Pictures
17:01, 14 May
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Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas has told the remarkable story of how his car was stolen during the Miami GP weekend, prompting an FBI investigation into the incident. The Finn revealed his F1 paddock pass was in his Cadillac Escalade when it was stolen on the Saturday morning of the Sprint Race.
Speaking on the What's Next? podcast, the former Mercedes driver explained that he decided to stay in an Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale, north of the Grand Prix circuit rather than in the city itself to avoid the worst of the traffic over the weekend.
The 36-year-old said he was staying in "a nice area, with a low crime rate," and so with his car keys in the house, and the car itself locked, Bottas got quite the shock when he was told his Cadillac had been taken while in the shower before heading to the day's track action.
Bottas recounted the story: "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'. So anyway, found a solution for that."
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Bottas then joked with his co-host Paul Ripke that the thief could have impersonated him for the day at the Miami GP, with the paddock pass able to give them access to the track. He said: "Yeah, he had all the opportunities for that day - the VIP parking, walk to the paddock, sign in, go to the team."
FBI investigate Bottas' Cadillac 'getaway' theft
Photo: Race Pictures
Fortunately, however, the car was later discovered in a "high crime area", with the FBI involved in the investigation, as Bottas explained: "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."
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Bottas then revealed additional heavy security measures taken after the incident, which he believes would have given his neighbours quite the shock: "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."
Thankfully, Bottas was able to make it to Cadillac's first-ever home Grand Prix in F1, even if he was the last to cross the line in P18 behind his teammate Sergio Perez in P16.
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