Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates
Preamble
Our correspondent will be here shortly to cover today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Time
The starting lap has started.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, the commentator reminds us.
Countdown
The countdown is on.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to mess with the team's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky's internal discussion currently: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with 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 the driver: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he failed to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We take the experience for the next day," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be plenty of learning.
Team Standings
It's not all about the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri was victorious then – as he managed the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, just over twenty minutes remaining until the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of what is to come, rather than significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
The driver wins F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
