Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates
Opening Notes
The author is about to begin to guide you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Live Feed
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Track Information
There are nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, David Croft reminds us.
Countdown
The countdown is on.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to challenge Red Bull's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is jumping ahead to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in the previous race, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to make it out of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have as a result adjusted to his car configuration and so he will start from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the learning for tomorrow," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be plenty of learning.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he managed the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Right, approximately 20 minutes to go until the short race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, rather than highly important in its own right, with only eight points available to the victor. However, second place in this race was sufficient for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.
