Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Real-Time Updates
Preamble
Philip is arriving soon to guide you through today's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, David Croft points out.
Final Moments
The countdown is underway.
Driver Situation
One point in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky speaking with Sky now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer 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: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth position in the grand prix, he failed to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We take the experience for the next day," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the individual championship: The team have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri won that day – as he managed last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is attempting a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Right, just over 20 minutes to go until the short race begins. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as an indication of future events, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, second place in this race was enough for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.