Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Updates
Preamble
Philip is about to begin to cover today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap has begun.
Track Information
There are 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, the commentator reminds us.
Final Moments
The final countdown has begun.
Driver Situation
One point in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with the team's lead driver.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin team principal.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 again on the previous day. The team have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the learning for tomorrow," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that.
Team Standings
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the constructors' gong but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position during this event. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri was victorious then – as he did last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, just over 20 minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title two years ago.
Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
