Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates
Preamble
The author is arriving soon to take you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Live Feed
Starting Lap Period
The warm-up lap has started.
Track Information
There are 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, David Croft reminds us.
Countdown
The last moments is on.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is looking forward to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Grid Details
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he failed to make it out of Q1 again on the previous day. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We take the learning for tomorrow," says Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect plenty of learning.
Team Standings
It's not all about the drivers' title: McLaren have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position during this event. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Previous Results
Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. McLaren's Australian is attempting a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, approximately twenty minutes remaining until the sprint race gets under way. 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 available to the winner. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed the championship after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
