Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Coverage
Preamble
Philip is about to begin to cover today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Current Events
Formation Lap Time
The starting lap has begun.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, the commentator informs us.
Final Moments
The final countdown has begun.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to interfere with Red Bull's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky currently: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth position in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Previous Results
Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, approximately twenty minutes remaining till the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, second place in this race was enough for Verstappen to claim the title two years ago.
Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of the short race.
