Italian Grand Prix: Valtteri Bottas beats Lewis Hamilton for F1 'sprint' race front row

Audio and text coverage of the Italian Grand Prix is live on the BBC Sport website

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas beat team-mate Lewis Hamilton to pole position for Saturday's Italian Grand Prix 'sprint' race.

The usual second Friday practice was replaced by an hour-long qualifying session to decide the grid for Saturday's 'sprint' race qualifying.

Hamilton trails Red Bull's Verstappen by three points in the title race.

Bottas' lap comes days after it was announced he will be replaced at Mercedes next season by Briton George Russell. Bottas will drive for Alfa Romeo in 2022.

Bottas shouted over team radio after he crossed the line: "Oh yes - boom! Thanks."

He later added: "It feels so good when you get a nice lap. I had a bit of a tow. I feel good and relaxed now everything is sorted for the future."

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• Italian Grand Prix coverage on the BBC
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Saturday's 'sprint' race results will set the grid for the main grand prix on Sunday.

There will also be championship points for the 18-lap event, with three to the winner, two for second and one for third.

The winner of the sprint race will be officially recognised as the driver who scored pole position for the traditional race of 53 laps.

It is the second race of the season which has seen a change to the traditional format for grand prix weekends.

How did Bottas pull that out of the bag?

Hamilton had been fastest throughout Friday and appeared to be a country mile ahead of Verstappen and his team-mate on a circuit where he has won five times.

But, following the pain of rejection from Mercedes for next season and the announcement he will race for a new team, Bottas cut a more relaxed figure.

His first flying lap in the final session of qualifying was messy, dipping a rear wheel into the gravel at the Variante della Roggia chicane, sending stones and sparks flying.

But on the final lap he managed to take a tow and beat Hamilton, who was behind him on the road.

Hamilton said afterwards: "Congrats to Valtteri - he did a mega lap. It was looking pretty good until then, then he went quicker and I couldn't match it - well deserved.

"It's great to see Valtteri driving so well - particularly with the news this week."

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