Qatar Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Coverage
Preamble
Philip is about to begin to guide you through this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Period
The warm-up lap has begun.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, the commentator reminds us.
Countdown
The final countdown is on.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to mess with the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky now: the analyst is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Grid Details
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on Friday. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We take the learning for the next day," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Right, just over twenty minutes to go till the short race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, instead of significant in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the winner. However, second place here was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
