Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage
Preamble
Philip will be here shortly to guide you through today's short race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap has begun.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft informs us.
Final Moments
The final countdown is on.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky speaking with Sky now: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with Adrian Newey about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal.
Grid Details
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: following his result of twentieth and final in the previous race, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 once more on Friday. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," says Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Team Standings
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place during this event. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he managed the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, just over twenty minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of what is to come, instead of significant in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for the driver to become champion two years ago.
Max Verstappen wins the championship after Pérez crashes out of the short race.
