Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Updates
Preamble
Our correspondent is arriving soon to cover today's short race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Formation Lap Period
The starting lap has begun.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft reminds us.
Final Moments
The final countdown has begun.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver 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 2026, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to the team team principal.
Grid Details
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. Ferrari have consequently 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 Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the drivers' title: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he managed last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, approximately 20 minutes remaining till the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, instead of highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed the championship after Pérez crashes out of the short race.
