Formula 1 is one of the fasting growing sports in popularity here in the United States. While it enjoys soccer/football levels of fanaticism the rest of the world over, weโre just now coming around to it. And when first getting into any new sport, it is difficult to decide who to root for; theyโre all just helmeted faceless dudesโand they are all dudesโin jumpsuits driving multi-million-dollar cars, so how do you choose on to glom onto? Like with most important decisions in my life, I turn to coffee. Thatโs why my allegiance falls strongly with Valtteri Bottas, big time coffee guy.
As reported by Jalopnik, Bottasโ coffee bona fides are strong. The Finnish driver who last season switched from Mercedes to become the elder statesman at Alfa Romeo tells the car- and racing-focused website that he brings an AeroPress and hand grinder with him whenever he is traveling the world for his races. And when heโs not brewing his own coffee, heโs out scouting for good cafes. โLuckily we go to locations for the grands prix that quite often you can find good coffee and small roasteries and stuff like that,โ Bottas tells Jalopnik in an interview. When he was in Austin for the last monthโs 2022 United State Grand Prix, for instance, Bottas name dropped none other than Try Hard Coffee Roasters, the 2021 Sprudgie Award winner for Best New Cafe. Unfortunately, exquisite taste in coffee wasnโt the prime factor in the race and Bottas tied for last with a DNF after spinning out and losing control of his car on lap 16.
If seeking out the best cafes while traveling and bringing your own stash from homeโboth very relatable for the fanatic coffee drinkers of the worldโisnโt enough to sway you, then how about the fact that Bottas is also the co-owner of his own coffee roastery? When not driving very fast all over the world, Bottas can be found taking the Giesen for a spin at Kahiwa Coffee Roasters in Lahti, Finland. He was even a judge at the Finnish AeroPress Championship when the cafe and roastery hosted the event.
And really, Bottas in a good choice for entry-level fandom. Heโs a strong driver, having previously won 10 races, contributed to five constructor titlesโgiven each year to the team that performs the bestโas well as two runner-up finishes in the driversโ championship, basically the individual version of the constructor championship. But Bottas is not a front-runner pick. Heโs never won it all individually, and now that heโs on a new team in rebuilding mode, Bottas isnโt exactly the odds-on favorite to win immediately. Youโre buying low, with lots of upside.
So Valtteri, if you really want to get the fine people of the specialty coffee world on your side, you should put a Sprudge sticker on your ride. Their small, quite fetching, and have a favorable drag coefficient. Just think about it is all Iโm saying.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.
