Italian GP | Bottas edges out Hamilton, Verstappen in sprint qualifying

Bottas’ final flying lap saw him beat Hamilton by 0.096 seconds in a qualifying session that set the grid for Formula One's second-ever sprint

Valtteri Bottas edged out Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and championship leader Max Verstappen at the Temple of Speed on the night of September 10 in the return of sprint qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. Bottas’ final flying lap saw him beat Hamilton by 0.096 seconds in a qualifying session that set the grid for Formula One's second-ever sprint, which will determine the starting lineup for the main race on September 12. Red Bull driver Verstappen was 0.411seconds behind the Finn, who is leaving Mercedes at the end of the season for Alfa Romeo. “That qualifying lap was nice and it feels good when you get a nice lap in. It was good fun, I enjoyed and I feel relaxed now everything is sorted for the future,” Bottas said. “Really pleased for the team today, the car has been so good and next year will be exciting for me and I’m looking forward to it.” “But now I’m focused on tomorrow’s sprint race and starting from the front I’m expecting to get maximum points tomorrow and then do the best job I can on Sunday.”