Monza (Italy) (AFP)

Max Advantage: Verstappen (Red Bull) will start in pole position of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, three places ahead of his championship rival Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the big loser of the qualifying sprint race won by Valterri Bottas (Mercedes ).

The first will be last.

Bottas won the qualifying sprint race but will start from the back of the grid on Sunday for the Grand Prix at 3:00 p.m.

Mercedes has indeed suffered a penalty for having changed the engine and other elements of its car beyond the quota authorized per season.

The Finnish Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) won the qualifying sprint race for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, validating the 18th pole position of his career, September 11, 2021 in Monza, ahead of the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) MIGUEL MEDINA AFP

It is therefore Verstappen who obtains the 11th pole position of his career and will start in the lead, while his chaser in the championship, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), will only be 4th.

Starting second behind his teammate in this sprint, Hamilton got off to a bad start, dropping to 5th place.

He then failed to overtake the McLarens of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, who will be 2nd and 3rd respectively on the GP grid, also taking advantage of Bottas' penalty.

British driver Lewis Hamilton, after the qualifying sprint race for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, on September 11, 2021 at the Monza circuit LARS BARON POOL / AFP

"The weekend has been perfect so far, but we have this big penalty ... what can I say? I'm going to fight, anything is possible," said Bottas, who will be leaving Mercedes for Alfa Romeo at the end of the year.

From an accounting perspective, Bottas, Verstappen and Ricciardo took three, two and one point (s) for the championship respectively.

Verstappen is now five points ahead of Hamilton in their battle for the title.

This is the second time in its history that F1 has tested this qualifying sprint race format, as at Silverstone in July.

The "classic" qualifications, advanced to Friday, made it possible to define the grid of the sprint race and it was during this one, with a length of 18 laps of 5.793 km (completed in 27 minutes 54 seconds 78 / 1000th by Bottas), that the pole position and the rest of the GP grid were played out.

- Gasly off the track, Ocon 13th -

"The race went a little better than expected," admitted Verstappen.

"We're scoring two points and of course we're going on pole. If we go through the first two corners without a hitch, then it will be great to be ahead" at Monza.

"Did you see the pace of the Red Bull? They're so fast and now that he's on pole it should be an easy win for him," Hamilton predicted at Sky Sports.

Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull), during the qualifying sprint race for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, September 11, 2021 at the Monza circuit Miguel MEDINA AFP

Besides Hamilton, the loser of this format is Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri).

Qualifying in 6th place on Friday, he crashed into the back of a McLaren in the first chicane of the first lap and then went off the track in the safety wall.

The driver, winner of his first F1 GP here last year, got out of his car unscathed.

He will leave behind on Sunday.

The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who do not let go in the championship (6th and 7th at only 2.5 points), will start on Sunday 5th and 6th.

Antonio Giovinazzi, whose seat is threatened at Alfa Romeo for 2022, took a nice 7th place on the grid.

He will be ahead of Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) in the top 10.

The other Frenchman in the paddock, Esteban Ocon (Alpine), will start 12th.

Within the limit of a gauge reduced to 50% of the capacity of the stands, due to the pandemic, the tifosi are present at Monza, all in red of course, Italian flags and Ferrari banners, often to the glory of Leclerc, although in sight.

© 2021 AFP