Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage
Preamble
The author will be here shortly to guide you through this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (6pm).
Live Feed
Starting Lap Time
The starting lap has begun.
Track Information
We have nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in F1, the commentator informs us.
Countdown
The final countdown has begun.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to challenge the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Grid Details
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 once more on Friday. The team have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the pit lane.
The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We take the experience for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect plenty of learning.
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, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, approximately twenty minutes to go until the sprint race begins. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, rather than significant in its itself, with only eight points available to the winner. Mind you, second place in this race was enough for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver claimed F1 world title following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
