🔗 Share this article Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Coverage Preamble Philip is arriving soon to guide you through this day's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm). Current Events Warm-Up Lap Period The formation lap has begun. Track Information We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft informs us. Countdown The countdown has begun. Driver Situation One point in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to interfere with Red Bull's main man. Interview Updates Sky speaking with Sky currently: the analyst is with Mercedes. The analyst is looking forward to the 2026 season, speaking with the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role. Starting Positions There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to make it out of Q1 once more on Friday. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the starting area. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position. Driver Comments "We take the learning for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be plenty of learning. Constructors' Championship It's not all about the individual championship: The team have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader. Previous Results Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win. Sprint Race Value Alright, just over twenty minutes remaining till the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of what is to come, rather than significant in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season. The driver claimed the championship following Pérez crashes out of the short race.