Italian GP sprint qualifying race: Start time, how to watch, channel

Valtteri Bottas will start the Sprint from pole position after beating Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by just under a tenth of a second in Friday qualifying.

Although Bottas is set to get a massive grid penalty for taking an all new-powertrain, this would apply only to the grand prix on Sunday, meaning he is free to start the sprint qualifying from the front of the pack.

Championship leader Max Verstappen will line up third in the Red Bull, with McLaren's Lando Norris joining him on the second row.

Sergio Perez qualified a distant ninth in the second of the two Red Bulls.

What time does the sprint qualifying race start at the Italian GP?

The sprint qualifying race for the Italian GP will kick off at 4.30pm local time (+2pm GMT) on Saturday and is expected to last roughly 30 minutes - barring any red flags or prolonged interruptions.

• Date: Saturday, September 11, 2021 
• Start time: 14:30 GMT / 15:30 BST / 16:30 CEST / 16:30 SAT / 17:30 EAT / 10:30 ET / 07:30 PT / 00:30¹ AEST / 23:30 JST / 20:00 IST

Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the Formula 1 schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.

2021 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix timetable

How many laps will the sprint qualifying race be at the Italian GP?

The Monza sprint race will run to 18 laps. As a rule, all sprint races must last 100km, with the lap count decided accordingly. 

For comparison, a full-distance grand prix is held over 305-310km.

Do points get awarded for the sprint qualifying races?

Yes, F1 will offer points for top finishers in the sprint race. The winner will take home three points, the second-placed driver will get two points, and the third-placed finisher will be awarded a single point.

This means that a maximum of 29 points will be up for grabs for drivers across the weekend, including 25 for the win, three for pole position in the sprint race and the bonus point for the fastest lap in the grand prix.

How can I watch the Italian GP sprint qualifying race?

Formula 1 is broadcast live in nearly every country around the world. 

Europe: 

• Austria - Servus TV / ORF
• Belgium - RTBF
• Denmark - TV3 / TV3 Sport / Viasat
• Finland - MTV
• France - Canal+
• Germany - Sky
• Hungary - M4
• Italy - Sky
• Netherlands - Ziggo
• Poland - Eleven Sports
• Portugal - Eleven Sports
• Spain - Movistar / DAZN
• Sweden - Viasat
• Switzerland - SRF / RSI / RTS
• UK - Sky Sports F1

Americas: 

• USA - ESPN
• Canada - RDS / TSN / Discovery Velocity
• Latin America - Fox Sports / ESPN

Asia: 

• China - CCTV / Tencent / Guangdong TV
• India - Star Sports
• Japan - Fuji Television
• Russia - Match TV
• Turkey - S Sport
• Rest of Asia - Fox Sports

Oceania: 

• Australia - Fox Sports / Network 10
• New Zealand - Spark Sports

Africa: 

• Africa - SuperSport

Italian GP Sprint - Starting grid

Cla	Driver		Chassis	Time	Gap
1	Valtteri Bottas		Mercedes	1'19.555
2	Lewis Hamilton		Mercedes	1'19.651	0.096
3	Max Verstappen		Red Bull	1'19.966	0.411
4	Lando Norris		McLaren	1'19.989	0.434
5	Daniel Ricciardo		McLaren	1'19.995	0.440
6	Pierre Gasly		AlphaTauri	1'20.260	0.705
7	Carlos Sainz Jr.		Ferrari	1'20.462	0.907
8	Charles Leclerc		Ferrari	1'20.510	0.955
9	Sergio Perez		Red Bull	1'20.611	1.056
10	Antonio Giovinazzi		Alfa Romeo	1'20.808	1.253
11	Sebastian Vettel		Aston Martin	1'20.913	1.358
12	Lance Stroll		Aston Martin	1'21.020	1.465
13	Fernando Alonso		Alpine	1'21.069	1.514
14	Esteban Ocon		Alpine	1'21.103	1.548
15	George Russell		Williams	1'21.392	1.837
16	Nicholas Latifi		Williams	1'21.925	2.370
17	Yuki Tsunoda		AlphaTauri	1'21.973	2.418
18	Mick Schumacher		Haas	1'22.248	2.693
19	Robert Kubica		Alfa Romeo	1'22.530	2.975
20	Nikita Mazepin		Haas	1'22.716	3.161
View full results