Qatar Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates

Preamble

Philip is arriving soon to guide you through this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).

Live Feed

Formation Lap Period

The starting lap has started.

Track Information

We have 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, the commentator points out.

Final Moments

The countdown is underway.

Driver Situation

One point in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to interfere with the team's main man.

Media Conversations

Sky's internal discussion currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.

The analyst is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing Adrian Newey about his promotion to the team team principal.

Starting Positions

Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth position in the grand prix, he failed to advance of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the pit lane.

The team's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.

Racer Statements

"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect a lot of that.

Constructors' Championship

It's not all about the drivers' title: The team have dominated the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader.

Past Performance

Piastri won that day – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.

Sprint Race Value

Alright, just over 20 minutes to go till the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, instead of significant in its own right, with only eight points awarded to the victor. However, second place in this race was enough for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.

Max Verstappen wins the championship after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.