Qatar's Short Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage
Opening Notes
The author is about to begin to guide you through this day's short race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Time
The formation lap is underway.
Circuit Details
There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, David Croft informs us.
Final Moments
The final countdown is on.
Racer Positions
One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with the team's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky's internal discussion currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with Adrian Newey about his stepping up to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the pit lane.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Team Standings
It's not all about the individual championship: The team have dominated the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position during this event. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, just over twenty minutes to go till the short race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, instead of highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, second place in this race was sufficient for the driver to become champion in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
