Bottas wins Monza sprint race, Verstappen claims pole for Italian GP
Valtteri Bottas won Saturday's sprint race at Monza. However, due to engine changes made earlier in the weekend, the Mercedes driver will start at the back of the grid for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the current championship leader, claimed pole position for the Italian GP by finishing second in the sprint.
While Bottas is exempted from officially claiming an 18th career pole, he claimed three points for winning the sprint race. Verstappen added two while McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, who'll start on the front row, earned one point.
Verstappen and Ricciardo last started together on the front row as Red Bull teammates for the 2018 Mexico GP.
Full results:
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 8 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine |
| 12 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| 14 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams |
| 15 | George Russell | Williams |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
| 17 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas |
| 18 | Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo |
| 19 | Mick Schumacher | Haas |
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri |
Bottas qualified at the front of the grid for the sprint race by posting Friday's fastest lap. This is the first grand prix since the news became official that the Finn will be joining Alfa Romeo next season. Williams' George Russell will be taking Bottas' seat at Mercedes.
Pierre Gasly was the only retirement Saturday, losing his front wing on the first lap after making contact with a McLaren.
This is the second time Formula 1 has run the sprint race qualifying format after it made its debut earlier this season at Silverstone.