Italian Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying: Dominant performance by Bottas

As is often the case in Monza, the race got off to a very eventful start. Starting in 2nd place on the grid, Hamilton missed his start and was successively overtaken by his rival, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, and Lando Norris even before the first turn.

At the second turn, the British world champion lost a position to Pierre Gasly. Victim of his lightning start, the Norman touched the rear of Ricciardo’s McLaren, which broke his front wing and forced him to finish his race in the gravel trap.

The back of the pack was also the scene of a minor incident between Yuki Tsunoda and Robert Kubica. At the 4th corner, the Japanese driver clipped the rear wheel of the Polish driver, sending the Alfa Romeo into the gravel trap.

Behind Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen knew that the Finn was not a real threat for tomorrow’s race due to his engine penalties and settled for staying in 2nd place.

The teammate of the Dutchman, Sergio Perez, qualified only 9th on the grid, had an equally disappointing start to the race by being overtaken by Giovinazzi at the start and struggling to overtake Lance Stroll for several laps. After 2 laps of battling with the Aston Martin driver, the Mexican finally regained his 9th place.

Following the announcement of his departure from Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas has never seemed so performant this season. Qualified first yesterday, the Finn made a great start and secured the victory in this sprint qualifying. A great performance that unfortunately will not be rewarded tomorrow due to engine penalties that will see Valtteri Bottas start from the back.

It was 18 tricky laps on the other side of the garage. Lewis Hamilton never found a way to overtake Lando Norris’ McLaren and has to settle for a disappointing 5th place. A result that will delight Max Verstappen, who will be able to benefit from a clear field tomorrow on the grid.

Sprint Qualifying results: