F1 starting grid 2021: Valterri Bottas wins pole at qualifying sprint race for Brazilian Grand Grand Prix

3:05 p.m. update: Valtteri Bottas secured the pole for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix with a win in the sprint race. Max Verstappen finished second and Carlos Sainz finished third to settle the first row of Sunday’s race. Bottas gained three points in the championship series while Verstappen gained two to build on his lead over Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton finished fifth after a disqualification moved him to 20th at the start. He will drop to 10th on Sunday due to a five-spot grid penalty.

Formula One is in São Paulo this weekend for the Brazilian Grand Prix and Saturday brings a sprint race to determine the starting order for Sunday’s race. Traditional qualifying ran on Friday and set the starting grid for a 100-kilometer sprint race on Saturday. The drivers will run 24 laps to determine the grid for Sunday’s race.

There is a big piece heading into qualifying. Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from qualifying due to a technical rules violation. He started at the back of the pack on Saturday and will still take a five-spot grid penalty for Sunday. It’s a huge hit to his hopes of pushing Max Vertstappen atop the points board. Hamilton won the pole in Friday qualifying but has been stripped of it and Verstappen moves into the No. 1 spot.

The sprint race will air on ESPNews starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. It is expected to last approximately 30 minutes and will be available for live stream at WatchESPN.

Verstappen is a heavy favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to win on Sunday, installed at -200 followed by Valtteri Bottas at +300. Hamilton has dropped to fourth best odds due to the penalty and is +1400 to climb from the back of the pack to win on Sunday.

Here is the full entry list for Saturday’s sprint race in São Paulo. We’ll provide updates as the sprint race wraps and Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix starting grid is settled.