2021 Italian GP Sprint Race: Full Report & Highlights

At the heart of the 2021 F1 World Championship fight, Monza delivered another twist as Valtteri Bottas executed a flawless performance to win the second-ever F1 Sprint—yet it would be Max Verstappen who started Sunday’s 2021 Italian Grand Prix from pole. Despite Bottas dominating the 18-lap, 100km blast from P1, his raft of power unit penalties consigns him to a back-row start. That elevates Verstappen, who finished second in the Sprint, to the top spot on a grid that’s already crackling with tension and strategic intrigue.

Behind the leading pair, Daniel Ricciardo brought McLaren back to the sharp end with a committed drive to third, Lando Norris backed him up in fourth, and Lewis Hamilton could only manage P5 after a disastrous getaway from the front row. The Sprint’s launch phase was nothing short of chaos: Hamilton slipped back immediately, swallowed by Verstappen, both McLarens, and Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri before the field even hit Curva Grande. Out front, Bottas launched cleanly, pulling Verstappen, Ricciardo, and Norris into formation behind him—Ricciardo grabbing track position over his teammate after starting fourth.

Gasly’s rapid advance lasted only seconds. Light contact with Ricciardo at Turn 1 damaged the AlphaTauri’s front wing, which folded under the car as he entered Curva Grande. With nowhere to go, Gasly skated into the gravel and hit the wall, ending his Sprint on the spot. The Safety Car was deployed, and as the pack slowed, Yuki Tsunoda and Alfa Romeo stand-in Robert Kubica clashed, spinning the Pole around in a secondary incident that added to an already frantic opening lap.

The Safety Car peeled in on Lap 4, and Bottas nailed the restart, ending the lap with a 1.5-second margin over Verstappen. The Red Bull driver, fully aware of Bottas’ pending penalty, settled into a rhythm behind the Finn, followed by Ricciardo, Norris, and an increasingly frustrated Hamilton in P5. Ferrari held sixth and seventh with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz—whose SF21 had been rebuilt overnight following his FP2 crash—while hometown favourite Antonio Giovinazzi impressed in eighth.

By Lap 5, Lance Stroll had climbed to ninth on used softs after dispatching Sergio Perez at Turn 1. Perez retaliated on Lap 9, attacking Stroll back into Turn 1 and briefly holding the position despite running through the escape road. His engineer instructed him to give it back, and Perez repaid the favour a lap later with a clean overtake at the same corner. All the while Hamilton found himself pinned behind Norris, the McLaren’s straight-line speed proving too strong for the Mercedes to overhaul despite relentless pressure.

With five laps remaining, a large split had opened between the Bottas-Verstappen duo and the pack led by Ricciardo, who was now 10 seconds adrift of the leaders. Verstappen still made no attempt to challenge Bottas, knowing that pole would be his regardless of the Finn’s finishing position. Instead, he managed pace, tyres, and risk, ensuring his crucial front-row inheritance remained secure.

Bottas completed a perfect Sprint at the end of Lap 18, crossing the line 2.325 seconds ahead of Verstappen to take three points, with the Dutchman earning two in second place. Ricciardo’s third place means he will start on the front row for the first time since Mexico 2018, once Bottas drops to the back. Norris finished just 1.176 seconds ahead of the still-frustrated Hamilton to seal fourth, the Mercedes settling for fifth ahead of both Ferraris.

Giovinazzi continued his standout weekend with eighth, fending off Perez, who finished ninth, while Stroll completed the top 10. Alonso led the midfield in 11th, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Esteban Ocon. Nicholas Latifi edged George Russell for P14, with Tsunoda recovering to P16 after his early clash. Nikita Mazepin climbed as high as P15 from last before fading to P17, followed by Kubica and Mick Schumacher, as Gasly’s early crash left him the only retirement.

And so, despite never qualifying higher than P5 at Monza before, Max Verstappen will start Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix from pole position. With McLaren’s Ricciardo and Norris lining up behind him and Hamilton now five points adrift in the standings, the 2021 F1 World Championship fight is about to ignite again at the Temple of Speed.

2021 Italian GP Sprint Race Results

2021 Italian Grand Prix Sprint Race, 11 September 2021