Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Live Updates
Preamble
Our correspondent is arriving soon to cover this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Real-Time Updates
Starting Lap Period
The warm-up lap has started.
Circuit Details
There are nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in F1, David Croft reminds us.
Final Moments
The last moments is on.
Driver Situation
One point in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, interviewing Adrian Newey about his promotion to Aston Martin team principal.
Grid Details
Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth position in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup 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 doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the experience for the next day," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, approximately twenty minutes to go until the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, second place here was enough for the driver to become champion in a prior season.
The driver claimed the championship following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
