Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Coverage
Preamble
The author will be here shortly to take you through this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Warm-Up Lap Time
The starting lap is underway.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps around the lengthiest track in F1, David Croft informs us.
Countdown
The last moments has begun.
Racer Positions
One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with Red Bull's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky speaking with Sky now: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
The analyst is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. The team have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We take the experience for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: The team have dominated the team championship but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position this weekend. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Alright, approximately 20 minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of what is to come, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points awarded to the victor. Mind you, second place here was sufficient for the driver to become champion two years ago.
The driver wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.