- Bottas at back of grid due to penalty for taking new power unit
- Lewis Hamilton fifth behind Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris
Valtteri Bottas won the sprint qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix but in a format that is looking unwieldy and turgid he is neither race winner nor does he claim pole position. Formula One admitted it is considering once more adjusting the sprint feature of the weekend in an attempt to inject it with some excitement.
Bottas has a grid penalty, putting Max Verstappen, who was second, on pole for Sunday’s race. He is in a real position to extend his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton, who was fifth after a poor start to the 18-lap event and has conceded that Verstappen should gain an easy win.