Qatar's Short Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Live Updates
Introduction
Philip will be here shortly to take you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Warm-Up Lap Period
The starting lap has begun.
Circuit Details
There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, David Croft points out.
Final Moments
The final countdown is underway.
Racer Positions
One point in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with Red Bull's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky's internal discussion now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the pit lane.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position during this event. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he managed the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Right, just over twenty minutes to go till the short race begins. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as an indication of what is to come, instead of highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot here was enough for the driver to become champion in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.
