Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Updates
Preamble
The author will be here shortly to cover this day's short race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Period
The warm-up lap is underway.
Circuit Details
There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, David Croft informs us.
Final Moments
The last moments is underway.
Driver Situation
One point in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with Red Bull's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky speaking with Sky currently: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, interviewing Adrian Newey about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he failed to advance of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for tomorrow," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning.
Team Standings
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: The team have dominated the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, just over 20 minutes remaining till the sprint race begins. Barring disaster, its main importance is as an indication of future events, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points awarded to the victor. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title two years ago.
Max Verstappen wins F1 world title following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
