AUSTIN, Texas — When Valtteri Bottas learned that Jim Beam was signing on as the official spirits partner of the newly minted Cadillac Formula 1 Team, the veteran driver felt an immediate sense of alignment. Sitting down for an extended conversation during the hustle and bustle of the United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin, the 10-time Grand Prix winner made no secret of his personal preferences. "I was excited when I learned about it, because I’m actually a whiskey guy," Bottas told reporters at the Circuit of the Americas.
It is a milestone weekend for both Bottas and his team, but the veteran driver’s Austin traditions stretch back far longer than his current tenure. Bottas has been traveling to the Texas capital for 13 years, a tenure that has allowed him to forge deep-rooted rituals in the city. His annual pilgrimage typically begins on the city’s vibrant East Side, making a direct stop at Nickel City—a favorite local watering hole famous for its hospitality, retro atmosphere, and, crucially, a massive jar of pickled eggs that Bottas unabashedly loves.
These relaxed moments of local exploration offer a stark contrast to the high-stakes world of Formula 1, a dynamic that defines much of Bottas’s professional life. Backed by TWG Motorsports and General Motors, Cadillac arrived on the grid this year as Formula 1’s 11th team, marking the first all-new entry to enter the elite motorsport championship since Haas joined the fray in 2016. The ambitious American operation boasts a sprawling footprint: it is headquartered in Fishers, Indiana, just outside Indianapolis, complemented by a significant UK base situated beside Silverstone, and an in-progress power unit facility rising near GM’s prominent technical center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
For its inaugural season, the team is running competitive Ferrari power units while development continues on its own proprietary General Motors engine, which is officially slated to debut on the grid in 2029. Guiding this massive operational undertaking is team principal Graeme Lowdon, a seasoned motorsport executive who previously led Marussia into the sport. Inside the garage, Bottas shares driving duties with Sergio Pérez, giving the Cadillac lineup a formidable combined total of 527 Grand Prix starts. That wealth of experience has proven vital as the American outfit navigates the steep learning curve of a debut Formula 1 campaign.
Bottas’s appreciation for whiskey goes beyond casual enjoyment; earlier this year, he traveled to Kentucky to tour the historic Jim Beam distillery, gaining a firsthand look at the craftsmanship behind the brand. "Cadillac and Jim Beam, they’re both two iconic American brands, so it really, really fits," he observed during his time in Austin. "The branding, the style of Jim Beam, the things they do, it just works."
During his distillery tour, Bottas was introduced to a piece of corporate lore that neatly bridges the histories of both iconic American names. "Mr. Jim Beam himself, back in the day, driving his Cadillac and carrying his yeast," Bottas recounted with a smile. According to company history, the legendary distiller once transported a precious jar of his proprietary yeast strain home in his Cadillac to keep it safe during a period of transition, a strain that still directly shapes the distinctive flavor profile of the bourbon today. In a fitting tribute to that piece of corporate history, Fred Noe, the distillery’s seventh-generation master distiller, continues to drive a Cadillac.
Cadillac has leaned heavily into its rich American heritage throughout its inaugural season on the grid. The team’s striking debut livery was revealed to the global public in a high-profile Super Bowl ad in February, setting the tone for a distinctly patriotic visual identity. The team’s race car, designated the MAC-26, pays direct homage to American motorsport royalty, taking its name from Mario Andretti, the legendary 1978 Formula 1 world champion. Special, one-off liveries have followed at key rounds on the calendar, including eye-catching designs in Miami and at Silverstone, where the British Grand Prix livery celebrated the historic milestone of 250 years of American independence.
For Bottas, a glass of whiskey is reserved for the quietest stretches of a demanding calendar that spans nearly every corner of the globe. "In my life, there’s a lot of these contrasts, because, you know, these weekends, they’re so hectic, so busy, noisy," he reflected. "And then I always find out that I’m searching for the opposite when I have my time off, so I try to wind down, try to go to the nature and maybe have a glass of Jim Beam by myself."
Asked to translate the spirit into the language of his day job, Bottas noted that if Jim Beam were to bottle his driving style, he would want the resulting product to be "smooth, resilient, and fast." Those qualities have served him well across a career that includes 10 Grand Prix victories, leading to his high-profile return to a full-time race seat this year with Cadillac after spending the previous season operating as a vital reserve driver for Mercedes-Benz.
Years of competing at the highest level of motorsport have given Bottas a comprehensive understanding of the sport, illuminating just how much of a driver’s labor occurs entirely away from the cockpit. "As a kid when I was actually dreaming to become a Formula 1 driver, I only thought it’s just, yeah, you go to the races, you drive your car and that’s the main thing," he admitted. "But I’ve learned that the main thing is actually everything else. The driving part is, time-wise, the smallest thing we do. The amount of technical meetings, the other meetings, fan meetings, all these things, I had no idea. But I’m not complaining." He added that the unrelenting demands of Formula 1—with its intense highs, crushing lows, and unyielding travel schedule—have provided an invaluable education about himself.
That reflective mindset extends to how he experiences the cities that host the world championship. Speaking about Austin, Bottas pointed to the city’s distinct character as a major draw. "It’s the vibe in the town, the people," he said. "It’s definitely a bit weird, but there’s so much to do, so much to offer when it comes to the food." When he is not at the circuit, Bottas is an avid cyclist, frequently taking to the saddle to explore the winding routes just outside the city limits. "Every year it just keeps changing," he noted of Austin’s rapid evolution. "It’s like a different town from back then."
On each annual visit, he and his partner, professional Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, make a point of seeking out new culinary spots, with Cromwell typically managing the restaurant bookings. Though the city’s vibrant live music scene is a major attraction, Bottas maintains strict discipline ahead of competitive sessions. "The live music is really cool," he said. "I tried to avoid it before the race, but maybe tomorrow night I can go out."
Being present at the literal inception of a brand-new Formula 1 constructor carries a profound personal significance for the Finnish driver. "Already I can be proud of being part of this team from the beginning, from the very start and part of creating this team on the very beginning of this journey," Bottas said, looking out over the paddock. "We were not here to be last. We wanted to eventually win races. That might take some time. But I hope people remember that I’m one of the OGs at the Cadillac F1 team." As he proudly points out, he was the very first driver to sign on the dotted line.
To commemorate the partnership and celebrate the United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin, Jim Beam released a limited-edition bottle across the United States market, featuring distinctive checkered-flag detailing drawn directly from the Cadillac team’s official helmet design concepts.
