Qatar Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates
Opening Notes
The author is arriving soon to guide you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Formation Lap Time
The formation lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in F1, David Croft points out.
Countdown
The last moments has begun.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to mess with the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, speaking with Adrian Newey about his promotion to the team team principal.
Grid Details
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: after coming 20th and last in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 again on Friday. The team have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the starting area.
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 take the experience for tomorrow," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the team championship but the team, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, just over twenty minutes remaining until the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of what is to come, instead of highly important in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for the driver to become champion two years ago.
The driver wins F1 world title following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
