Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Updates
Preamble
The author is about to begin to take you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Current Events
Formation Lap Period
The starting lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, the commentator points out.
Final Moments
The countdown is on.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to interfere with Red Bull's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky's internal discussion now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. The team have as a result made changes to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We take the learning for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be plenty of learning.
Team Standings
It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position during this event. George Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day ā as he did the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, approximately twenty minutes remaining until the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of future events, instead of highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.
Max Verstappen wins the championship after his teammate's accident of the short race.
