Qatar's Short Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Real-Time Coverage
Preamble
The author is about to begin to cover today's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Live Feed
Formation Lap Time
The warm-up lap has started.
Circuit Details
There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, David Croft points out.
Countdown
The last moments is underway.
Racer Positions
One point in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to challenge the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, speaking with Adrian Newey about his promotion to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for the driver: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on Friday. Ferrari have as a result adjusted to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Racer Statements
"We take the learning for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect plenty of learning.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have run away with the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he managed the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Alright, just over twenty minutes to go until the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of future events, instead of significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the victor. However, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for the driver to become champion in a prior season.
The driver claimed F1 world title following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
