Qatar Short Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage
Opening Notes
The author is about to begin to take you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Track Information
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft reminds us.
Countdown
The final countdown is on.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to challenge the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: following his result of twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth position in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of Q1 once more on Friday. Ferrari have as a result adjusted to his setup and so he begins from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the learning for the next day," says Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Team Standings
It's not all about the drivers' title: The team have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Right, just over 20 minutes to go until the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of what is to come, rather than significant in its own right, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
Max Verstappen wins the championship after Pérez crashes out of the short race.
