Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Updates

Introduction

The author is about to begin to cover today's short race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).

Real-Time Updates

Starting Lap Period

The warm-up lap has started.

Circuit Details

We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in F1, David Croft reminds us.

Final Moments

The last moments is on.

Racer Positions

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

Media Conversations

Sky speaking with Sky now: the analyst is with Mercedes.

The analyst is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal.

Starting Positions

Just 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, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on the previous day. The team have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the pit lane.

Aston Martin's Lance 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 tomorrow," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.

Constructors' Championship

The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.

Past Performance

Piastri won that day – as he managed the previous season, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win.

Sprint Race Value

Alright, approximately twenty minutes remaining till the short race gets under way. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, rather than significant in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.

Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.