Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates

Opening Notes

The author is arriving soon to take you through this day's short race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).

Real-Time Updates

Starting Lap Period

The warm-up lap is underway.

Track Information

There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft reminds us.

Countdown

The last moments is on.

Driver Situation

An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's main man.

Interview Updates

Sky speaking with Sky currently: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.

Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, speaking with Adrian Newey about his stepping up to the team team principal.

Grid Details

There are only 16 cars on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.

Driver Comments

"We take the experience for the next day," says Isack 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 team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.

Past Performance

Oscar 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 20 minutes to go till the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, rather than significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the winner. Mind you, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.

The driver claimed F1 world title following his teammate's accident of the short race.