Qatar Short Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage
Preamble
The author is about to begin to cover today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Period
The formation lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, David Croft reminds us.
Final Moments
The final countdown is underway.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky's internal discussion currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.
The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, interviewing Adrian Newey about his promotion to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth position in the main race, he did not manage to advance of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the experience for the next day," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Past Performance
Piastri was victorious then – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, just over 20 minutes remaining until the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the victor. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
Max Verstappen wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.
