Qatar Short Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Updates
Opening Notes
Our correspondent is arriving soon to guide you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Current Events
Starting Lap Period
The formation lap has begun.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, the commentator points out.
Countdown
The final countdown is underway.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is looking forward to the 2026 season, speaking with Adrian Newey about his promotion to the team team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to make it out of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Racer Statements
"We'll use the learning for tomorrow," says Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Team Standings
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position this weekend. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Past Performance
Piastri was victorious then – as he managed the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is attempting a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, just over twenty minutes remaining until the short race begins. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than significant in its own right, with only eight points awarded to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver wins F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of the short race.
