Qatar Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Coverage
Opening Notes
Our correspondent will be here shortly to cover this day's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Live Feed
Formation Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Track Information
There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, David Croft reminds us.
Countdown
The last moments is on.
Racer Positions
One point in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to challenge Red Bull's lead driver.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 again on the previous day. Ferrari have consequently adjusted to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the drivers' title: The team have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he did last year, too. McLaren's Australian is attempting a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Right, just over twenty minutes remaining until the short race begins. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. However, second place here was enough for the driver to become champion two years ago.
Max Verstappen claimed the championship following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
