Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Real-Time Coverage
Preamble
The author is about to begin to guide you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Starting Lap Time
The starting lap has begun.
Circuit Details
There are nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in F1, the commentator reminds us.
Countdown
The countdown has begun.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to interfere with Red Bull's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to the team lead role.
Grid Details
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth position in the main race, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment 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.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect plenty of learning.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the drivers' title: The team have run away with the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Previous Results
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Right, just over 20 minutes to go until the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for the driver to become champion two years ago.
The driver claimed the championship after Pérez crashes out of the short race.
