Qatar Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Coverage
Opening Notes
Philip is arriving soon to take you through today's short race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Real-Time Updates
Starting Lap Time
The formation lap is underway.
Track Information
We have 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, the commentator reminds us.
Countdown
The last moments has begun.
Racer Positions
One point in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to challenge Red Bull's main man.
Interview Updates
Sky interviewing Sky currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: following his result of twentieth and final in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he failed to advance of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect a lot of that.
Team Standings
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming 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 won that day – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Right, approximately twenty minutes remaining till the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, rather than significant in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
The driver claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
