Valtteri Bottas claimed pole position for the Italian Grand Prix Sprint after snatching top spot in qualifying from his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Finn Bottas clocked one minute, 19.555 seconds on his last qualifying lap to finish just 0.096 sec ahead of seven-time world champion Hamilton, who had been fastest in the first two qualifying sessions and practice and had been leading Q3 until he was pipped in the final seconds.

That means 32-year-old Bottas will lead the field in Saturday’s 100km Sprint, which will decide the grid for the GP on Sunday and give championship points to the top three.

First place in the Sprint will take three points, second place two and third place one.

Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

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