🔗 Share this article Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage Opening Notes Our correspondent is arriving soon to guide you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT). Live Feed Warm-Up Lap Period The formation lap is underway. Track Information We have nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, David Croft informs us. Final Moments The final countdown is on. Driver Situation One point in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with the team's lead driver. Media Conversations Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team. The analyst is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to the team team principal. Starting Positions Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on the previous day. The team have consequently adjusted to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position. Racer Statements "We take the learning for the next day," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect a lot of that. Team Standings It's not all about the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen. Past Performance Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. McLaren's Australian is attempting a hat-trick. Short Race Importance Alright, approximately twenty minutes to go until the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of future events, rather than significant in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for the driver to claim the title two years ago. Max Verstappen claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of the short race.