🔗 Share this article Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Real-Time Coverage Opening Notes The author is arriving soon to cover today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm). Real-Time Updates Starting Lap Time The formation lap is underway. Track Information There are nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in F1, the commentator reminds us. Final Moments The last moments has begun. Racer Positions One point in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by a single position. He is unlikely to interfere with the team's main man. Interview Updates Sky's internal discussion currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes. Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role. Starting Positions Just 16 cars on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth position in the grand prix, he failed to advance of the first qualifying segment again on the previous day. The team 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 pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise. Racer Statements "We take the experience for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that. Team Standings The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: The team have dominated the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position during this event. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader. Past Performance Piastri was victorious then – as he managed the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win. Sprint Race Value Alright, approximately 20 minutes to go until the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, instead of highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. However, second place in this race was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season. The driver claimed F1 world title following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.