Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates
Preamble
The author is about to begin to take you through today's sprint race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Period
The formation lap has started.
Circuit Details
We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, the commentator reminds us.
Countdown
The final countdown is underway.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team team principal.
Grid Details
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for the driver: after coming 20th and last in the previous race, resulting in an eighth position in the main race, he did not manage to advance of the first qualifying segment once more on the previous day. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the learning for the next day," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have dominated the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri won that day – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, approximately twenty minutes to go until the short race begins. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, rather than significant in its own right, with only eight points awarded to the winner. However, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
Max Verstappen wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.
