Qatar Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Updates
Opening Notes
Philip will be here shortly to cover today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Period
The warm-up lap has begun.
Track Information
There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, the commentator informs us.
Countdown
The countdown has begun.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with Red Bull's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his promotion to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to advance of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We take the experience for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he did the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Right, approximately 20 minutes to go until the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, rather than significant in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for the driver to claim the title two years ago.
The driver claimed F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.