🔗 Share this article Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates Preamble Our correspondent is about to begin to cover this day's short race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm). Live Feed Starting Lap Time The starting lap has begun. Track Information There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft points out. Final Moments The countdown is underway. Racer Positions An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with the team's lead driver. Interview Updates Sky speaking with Sky now: the analyst is with Mercedes. Karun Chandhok is looking forward to 2026, speaking with Adrian Newey about his promotion to Aston Martin team principal. Grid Details There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of 20th and last in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on Friday. The team have as a result made changes to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise. Driver Comments "We take the learning for the next day," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be 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 seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader. Past Performance Oscar Piastri won that day – as he managed last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win. Short Race Importance Alright, approximately 20 minutes to go till the short race gets under way. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of future events, instead of significant in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. However, second place here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season. Max Verstappen wins F1 world title following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.