Qatar Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Real-Time Coverage
Introduction
The author is about to begin to guide you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
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Formation Lap Period
The starting lap is underway.
Track Information
There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft reminds us.
Countdown
The last moments is underway.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for the driver: following his result of 20th and last in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth position in the grand prix, he failed to advance of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Racer Statements
"We take the learning for tomorrow," says Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Team Standings
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, just over twenty minutes remaining till the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of what is to come, instead of highly important in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the victor. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver wins the championship following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.