Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Live Coverage
Preamble
Philip will be here shortly to cover today's short race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Time
The warm-up lap has begun.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, the commentator reminds us.
Countdown
The countdown has begun.
Racer Positions
One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with Red Bull's lead driver.
Interview Updates
Sky's internal discussion now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to advance of Q1 again on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We take the experience for the next day," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect plenty of learning.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have run away with the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Previous Results
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, approximately twenty minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points awarded to the victor. However, second place in this race was enough for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.
