Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates
Preamble
Philip is arriving soon to guide you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Time
The warm-up lap has begun.
Track Information
We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, David Croft points out.
Countdown
The countdown is on.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. He is unlikely to challenge the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky now: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal.
Grid Details
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for the driver: after coming 20th and last in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the grand prix, he failed to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the constructors' gong but the team, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, just over 20 minutes to go till the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, rather than significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver claimed F1 world title following Pérez crashes out of the short race.
