This archive report was first published on 11 September 2021.
Italian Grand Prix Sprint qualifying saw a thrilling finish, with Valtteri Bottas claiming pole position on September 10, 2021, at the Monza circuit in Italy.
Bottas clocked a time of 1 minute, 19.555 seconds on his final lap, narrowly beating his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who had been the fastest driver in the first two qualifying sessions and practice.
Hamilton had been leading the third and final qualifying session until Bottas pipped him in the final seconds, securing the top spot by a mere 0.096 seconds.
As a result, Bottas will lead the field in Saturday's 100km Sprint, which will determine the grid for the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday and award championship points to the top three finishers.
First place in the Sprint will earn three points, second place two points, and third place one point.
However, Bottas will start at the back of the grid on Sunday due to a penalty for taking on power unit components.
Red Bull's championship leader Max Verstappen secured third place, while Charles Leclerc finished eighth, 0.955 seconds behind Bottas and one position behind his teammate Carlos Sainz.
