A time of 1:19.555 was enough for Valtteri Bottas to secure pole position for the 2021 Italian Grand Prix sprint race on Saturday, just pipping Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton who starts in second place.
Hamilton’s F1 title rival Max Verstappen was able to get his Red Bull into third, though he was just ahead of the two McLaren drivers – Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo – on the grid.
Elsewhere, Ferrari endured a tough time at Monza, as an engine issue saw Charles Leclerc only manage an eighth place grid slot, while his teammate Carlos Sainz finished one place ahead. Both were behind the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly.
Italian GP 2021 – Sprint race starting grid
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q3 Lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:19.555 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.096 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.411 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.434 |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +0.440 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +0.705 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.907 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.955 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +1.056 |
| 10 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | +1.253 |
| 11 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 15 | George Russell | Williams | Eliminated in Q2 |
| 16 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 17 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 19 | Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo | Eliminated in Q1 |
| 20 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas | Eliminated in Q1 |
