Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Real-Time Coverage
Opening Notes
Philip is about to begin to guide you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Current Events
Warm-Up Lap Time
The formation lap has started.
Circuit Details
We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, the commentator informs us.
Final Moments
The final countdown is on.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to interfere with the team's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky's internal discussion currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is jumping ahead to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Grid Details
Just 16 cars on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he begins from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We take the learning for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the drivers' title: McLaren have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Piastri was victorious then – as he did the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Right, just over 20 minutes to go until the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, rather than significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the winner. However, second place here was enough for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of the short race.
