Qatar Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates
Preamble
Philip will be here shortly to take you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Time
The formation lap has started.
Track Information
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft points out.
Final Moments
The last moments is on.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to interfere with Red Bull's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, interviewing Adrian Newey about his promotion to Aston Martin team principal.
Grid Details
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for tomorrow," says Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: The team have dominated the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage 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 going for a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Alright, approximately 20 minutes remaining until the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, instead of significant in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, second place here was sufficient for the driver to become champion two years ago.
The driver claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
