Valtteri Bottas plays barista at Melbourne coffee establishment ST. ALi
ST. ALi is one of the pioneers of Melbourne coffee culture. Now they're pioneering Formula 1 hospitality.
At the start of the year, it quickly became legend how Valtteri Bottas has adopted Australian culture.
The Alfa Romeo driver posted a video to social media of his summer in Australia, going viral with his mullet, tank top, and appropriation of the brand VB for his own initials.
As well as the Australian summer tour, Bottas has founded gin brand Oath in his downtime, alongside his partner, cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.
Oath has a trackside hospitality experience at the Australian Grand Prix, and launched a collaboration, Omena Gin, with South Australian Ambleside Distillers to celebrate.
Valtteri Bottas and partner Tiffany Cromwell launched collaboration Omena Gin with South Australian Ambleside Distillers. (Ambleside Distillers)
There's also a coffee blend, with the Finnish Kahiwa Coffee teaming up with Melbourne café and coffee brand ST. ALi for "The Mullet", an espresso blend that comes with a tote bag featuring Bottas' new hairstyle.
In South Melbourne, ST. ALi has a resounding presence, occupying an former ambulance station in a quiet lane running off Clarendon Street.
The coffee house has become home for Bottas during the Grand Prix, hosting a media day and VIP launch, a three-course dinner, and a gin tasting night.
There's a disclaimer at the bottom of each of the events stating that the Finn may or may not appear, depending on his schedule. It's commonplace for a personality-based brand like this. The probability of rubbing shoulders with a Formula 1 driver are low enough, especially not one balancing a grand prix weekend with a burgeoning brand, his own hospitality tent, and a huge local fanbase.
Inside, the bags of coffee are piled high, with tote bags stacked in short supply on the bar. Diners are tucked into the three-course meal, filling every table between the glass-partitioned dining room and the bar.
The coffee house is no stranger to collaborations and special events. "We're a café, so we have the space available literally half of the day," says the venue manager, darting back to the kitchen and talking to staff, managing the service completely unflapped.
"The events with Oath have been great. The stylists have done a beautiful job."
"It's been incredibly well received."
"Everybody's having a really good time, everybody's really enjoying the gin.
"Valtteri has been really personable. Going around to every single customer, saying hello, giving them a signature, signing a bottle or a tote bag."
Amid the gentle murmur of the dinner service, a table is taking group photos slightly out of sight.
As they sit back down, one stays standing, wearing head-to-toe Alfa Romeo team gear.
It is Bottas himself, spending upwards of ten minutes at each table as he personally thanks each group and introduces them to his gin brand. Then, selfies, group photos, FaceTime calls with friends.
"He's a really sweet man."
Ambleside is a family business, focused on botanicals from the Adelaide Hills. The collaboration with Oath seems natural. It’s as if Bottas and Cromwell could be seen distilling the gin themselves.
ST ALi's management, under Salvatore Malatesta, have a connection with Ambleside, which is how the events came about.
Bottas and Cromwell tell me that they have both been visiting the South Melbourne café for years during the Australian Grand Prix.
"Didn't I tell you about this place?" says Cromwell.
"No, I think it was even before then!" says Bottas.
The partnership between the three groups seems as relaxed as Bottas himself.
Formula 1 appearances and events range from exclusive to corporate, with few in between. Visiting a retail location, often for a high-end brand, with a polite but firm cordon keeping fans at bay. Appearing at the corporate campus of a local sponsor, whisked around the facilities with a brief photo op to celebrate. And none of this is the drivers' fault. A global sport, watched by billions, the demand for their time is immense.
Yet here is Valtteri Bottas, wandering around a Melbourne coffee shop, greeting patrons with the hospitality of a Mediterranean restaurateur.
The Grand Prix is just two days away, within shouting distance of this South Melbourne laneway.
Bottas gathers the diners for a speech, thanking them for attending and chatting about his pride in Oath gin. The Grand Prix couldn't feel any further away.
