Qatar Short Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage
Preamble
Philip is about to begin to guide you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Period
The starting lap has started.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, David Croft informs us.
Final Moments
The countdown is on.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky speaking with Sky currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: 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 advance of Q1 once more on Friday. The team have as a result 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.
Driver Comments
"We take the learning for the next day," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Team Standings
It's not all about the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. George Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Right, just over 20 minutes to go till the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of what is to come, rather than highly important in its itself, with only eight points available to the victor. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.
