F1 star Valtteri Bottas reveals the surprise way he met his Aussie cyclist girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell – while still married to his first wife

By A. JAMES FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 05:21 GMT, 25 March 2025 | Updated: 05:48 GMT, 25 March 2025

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High-profile Formula One star Valtteri Bottas has revealed the surprising way he met his long-term Australian girlfriend, cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.

The Finnish-born motor sports racer, 35, said he met the Olympian, 36, in a bar in Monaco some time before they went ‘official’ in 2020.

But nothing went further than a ‘handshake’ since he was still married to his first wife, Finnish swimmer Emilia Pikkarainen, at the time. 

Valtteri and Emilia are believed to have divorced in 2019 before he struck up a romance with Tiffany.

‘Well, once we met, it was actually quite a while before we met again,’ the racing star said of his relationship with Tiffany on Nova’s The Heart of It podcast this week.

‘[Eventually] my life situation changed as I got divorced, and then obviously… I kind of knew what I wanted, and that was Tiffany,’ he told hosts Cameron Daddo and Alison Brahe.

High-profile Formula One star Valtteri Bottas, 35, has revealed the surprising way he met his long-term Australian girlfriend, cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, 36

Tiffany, who is from Stirling, South Australia, was based in Monaco at the time they first met because of her racing career. 

Joining her beau for the podcast she explained the pair were introduced by an acquaintance.

‘[We] just happened to be in that same pub at the same night, and, yeah, the rest is history,’ she said.

Elsewhere in the chat Valtteri said of his girlfriend: ‘I knew that we could have lots of fun together, and she seemed like a lovely person. So [we] went straight in.’

They also revealed they bonded over a mutual love of cycling and this month the pair officially launched their new business venture, boutique gin label OATH.

According to their website, the enterprise was ‘inspired by their mutual love for gin and their distinct backgrounds’.

A blurb for the new product explains the gin is based on a ‘family formula’ and uses a special recipe.

During the podcast, Tiffany said the couple were on the ‘same page’ when it came to business.

The Finnish-born motor sports racer said he met the Olympian in a bar in Monaco some time before they went ‘official’ in 2020 

But nothing went further than a ‘handshake’ since he was still married to his first wife, Finnish swimmer Emilia Pikkarainen (right), at the time

‘[We] can always bounce ideas off each other, and we’re lucky with the various businesses we’re involved with together, like we have other people we’re working with,’ she said. 

Meanwhile, Tiffany is recovering from an injury after coming off her bike in a road race in Italy earlier this week.

Taking to her Instagram on Sunday she gave followers a health up date.

‘I guess I’m officially a real cyclist now after suffering my first ever collarbone fracture and first proper broken bone of my cycling career,’ she joked on the post.

Tiffany added: ‘I don’t count my thumb last year.

‘Not the way I had hoped my race would go. Getting taken out by a silly crash only 25km into the race. But that’s how it goes sometimes in bike racing.’

Fortunately, her injury did not require any surgery and she said doctors have advised her to rest.

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F1 star Valtteri Bottas reveals the surprise way he met his Aussie cyclist girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell – while still married to his first wife

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