Qatar Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates
Preamble
Our correspondent will be here shortly to guide you through this day's short race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Real-Time Updates
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft points out.
Countdown
The countdown is on.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to challenge Red Bull's lead driver.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.
The analyst is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for the driver: following his result of 20th and last in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he failed to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. Ferrari have consequently adjusted to his setup and so he begins from the pit lane.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Previous Results
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he managed last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Right, approximately twenty minutes remaining till the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, instead of significant in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the victor. However, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
The driver claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
