Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates
Opening Notes
Philip will be here shortly to guide you through today's short race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft points out.
Final Moments
The final countdown has begun.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. He is unlikely 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 Adrian Newey about his promotion to the team team principal.
Grid Details
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth position in the main race, he did not manage to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. 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, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Right, just over twenty minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, rather than significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to become champion two years ago.
The driver claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
