Qatar Short Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Live Coverage
Preamble
Philip will be here shortly to take you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Period
The formation lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, the commentator reminds us.
Countdown
The countdown is on.
Racer Positions
One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with Red Bull's lead driver.
Interview Updates
Sky speaking with Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is looking forward to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
Just 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 position in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 again on the previous day. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, 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 begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri was victorious then – as he did the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Right, approximately 20 minutes remaining till the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of future events, instead of highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
