Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Updates
Preamble
The author is about to begin to cover today's short race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Real-Time Updates
Formation Lap Time
The warm-up lap is underway.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, David Croft reminds us.
Countdown
The last moments is underway.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to Aston Martin lead role.
Starting Positions
There are only 16 cars on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he failed to make it out of Q1 once more on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the starting area.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the individual championship: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did last year, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Alright, approximately 20 minutes remaining until the sprint race begins. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of future events, instead of highly important in its itself, with only eight points available to the victor. Mind you, second place in this race was sufficient for Verstappen to become champion two years ago.
The driver claimed F1 world title following his teammate's accident of the short race.
