Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland reacts after seeing the fastest time during a qualifying session at the Monza racetrack in Monza, Italy, Friday, September 10, 2021. Formula One race will be held on Sunday
Valtteri Bottas ousted Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and championship leader Max Verstappen at the Temple of Speed on Friday night in his return to sprint qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
Bottas’ final flying lap saw him beat Hamilton by .096 seconds in the qualifying session, setting the grid for the second sprint of Formula One, which will determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s main race.
Red Bull driver Verstappen was .411 behind the Finn.
Bottas, who is leaving Mercedes at the end of the season for Alfa Romeo, will start at the back of the grid on Sunday as he moves to get a new power unit and will face a penalty for doing so.
Sprint qualifying began at Silverstone, where Hamilton was fastest in qualifying, but Verstappen topped the seven-time world champion in the sprint to take pole for the British GP.
Instead of the standard format of two drills on Friday and a third practice and qualifying on Saturday, there was one practice on Friday followed by a qualifying session that determined the grid for Saturday’s sprint. There is also another exercise on Saturday.
The sprint will be longer than 100 kilometers and the top three finishers will also receive points towards the championship. The first place person will get three points, the second place will get two points and the third place will get one point.
Verstappen won the Netherlands GP on Sunday and the Red Bull driver went three points ahead of seven-time world champion Hamilton. Should Hamilton win Saturday’s sprint and Verstappen finish fourth or worst, both will start Sunday’s race level at the top.
Lando Norris will start Saturday’s sprint in fourth place, just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly – last year’s shock winners at Monza.
Carlos Sainz was seventh, with Ferrari teammate – and 2019 winner – Charles Leclerc the eighth-fastest on the Italian team’s home circuit.
Sergio Perez and Antonio Giovinazzi round out the top 10.
Hamilton was fastest in practice earlier on Friday, ahead of Verstappen and Bottas.
Verstappen has a poor record at Monza, where he has never set foot on the coveted stage. His highest rank is fifth.
In contrast, Hamilton is a five-time winner in Temple of Speed and has three more podiums.
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