Qatar Short Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Updates
Opening Notes
Our correspondent is about to begin to cover this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Starting Lap Time
The formation lap has started.
Circuit Details
There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft points out.
Countdown
The countdown is underway.
Driver Situation
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with Red Bull's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
Karun Chandhok is looking forward to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal.
Starting Positions
There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying 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 once more on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his car configuration and so he will start from the pit lane.
The team'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," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning.
Team Standings
It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Right, just over twenty minutes to go till the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. Mind you, second place here was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of the short race.
