Motor racing-Boom! Bottas fastest with 'mega lap' for Monza sprint

Formula One F1 - Italian Grand Prix - Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy - September 10, 2021 Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas celebrates pole position for the sprint qualifying Pool via REUTERS/Lars Baron

(Reuters) -Valtteri Bottas put in a 'mega lap' to beat Mercedes Formula One team mate Lewis Hamilton and qualify fastest on Friday for Saturday's experimental Italian Grand Prix sprint race.

The Finn, whose departure from the team at the end of the season was announced this week, did a one minute 19.555 second lap with seven times world champion Hamilton 0.096 slower and championship leader Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.