Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Updates
Preamble
Philip is arriving soon to take you through today's sprint race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Period
The warm-up lap is underway.
Track Information
We have 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, the commentator informs us.
Countdown
The final countdown has begun.
Racer Positions
An advantage 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 lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky speaking with Sky currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
The analyst is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with Adrian Newey about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect plenty of learning.
Team Standings
It's not all about the individual championship: The team have dominated the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Alright, just over 20 minutes remaining till the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as an indication of future events, instead of significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the victor. However, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title two years ago.
Max Verstappen wins the championship after Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
