Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates
Introduction
Our correspondent will be here shortly to take you through this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Current Events
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap has started.
Track Information
We have nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in F1, David Croft reminds us.
Final Moments
The final countdown has begun.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to mess with Red Bull's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky currently: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for the driver: after coming 20th and last in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to make it out of Q1 once more 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 Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We take the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place during this event. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is attempting a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, just over twenty minutes to go till the short race begins. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as an indication of future events, rather than highly important in its own right, with only eight points available to the winner. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for the driver to claim the title two years ago.
Max Verstappen wins F1 world title following Pérez crashes out of the short race.
