Valtteri Bottas took pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday as teammate and world champion Lewis Hamilton endured a controversial and barnstorming day on and off the Interlagos track. 

Bottas claimed pole by winning the 24-lap sprint race. World championship leader Max Verstappen will start the Grand Prix beside the Finn on the front row in his Red Bull. It was Hamilton, however, who ended the day as the chief headline maker. The seven-time world champion, who now trails Verstappen by 21 points in the title race with four events left, was relegated to the back of the grid for Saturday’s sprint.