Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Coverage
Preamble
The author is about to begin to guide you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, David Croft points out.
Final Moments
The final countdown is underway.
Racer Positions
One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to challenge the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is looking forward to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We take the experience for the next day," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Team Standings
It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri won that day – as he did last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, approximately twenty minutes remaining till the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot here was enough for the driver to become champion in a prior season.
The driver claimed F1 world title following his teammate's accident of the short race.
