Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Coverage
Opening Notes
Philip is arriving soon to cover today's sprint race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Warm-Up Lap Time
The formation lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, David Croft points out.
Countdown
The last moments has begun.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to mess with the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky's internal discussion now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role.
Starting Positions
Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have consequently adjusted to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We take the experience for the next day," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect plenty of learning.
Team Standings
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he did last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Right, just over twenty minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than significant in its own right, with just eight championship points awarded to the victor. Mind you, second place here was enough for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver wins the championship following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
