Qatar Sprint Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Updates

Opening Notes

Philip is about to begin to take you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).

Live Feed

Warm-Up Lap Time

The formation lap has started.

Track Information

There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, David Croft reminds us.

Countdown

The last moments has begun.

Racer Positions

An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to mess with Red Bull's lead driver.

Media Conversations

Sky's internal discussion currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.

Karun Chandhok is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role.

Starting Positions

Just 16 cars on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the starting area.

The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.

Racer Statements

"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.

Team Standings

The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, are aiming to seal second place during this event. George Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.

Past Performance

Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.

Short Race Importance

Alright, approximately 20 minutes to go until the short race begins. Barring disaster, its main importance is as an indication of future events, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. Mind you, second place here was sufficient for the driver to claim the title two years ago.

The driver wins F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.