Qatar Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Coverage
Introduction
The author is about to begin to take you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Period
The starting lap has begun.
Circuit Details
There are nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in F1, David Croft reminds us.
Final Moments
The final countdown has begun.
Racer Positions
One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky's internal discussion currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.
The analyst is jumping ahead to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to advance of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect plenty of learning.
Team Standings
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, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Right, approximately twenty minutes to go until the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, instead of highly important in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed the championship following PĂ©rez crashes out of the short race.
