🔗 Share this article Qatar Sprint Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates Opening Notes Our correspondent is arriving soon to guide you through this day's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm). Live Feed Warm-Up Lap Time The warm-up lap is underway. Circuit Details There are nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, David Croft points out. Final Moments The final countdown has begun. Driver Situation An advantage in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is in front of him by a single position. He is unlikely to mess with Red Bull's lead driver. Media Conversations Sky's internal discussion now: Gary Neville is with Mercedes. The analyst is jumping ahead to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal. Grid Details Just 16 cars on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for the driver: following his result of twentieth and final in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the grand prix, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on Friday. Ferrari have as a result adjusted to his setup and so he begins from the starting area. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise. Racer Statements "We'll use the learning for the next day," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be plenty of learning. Team Standings It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping 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. Past Performance Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win. Short Race Importance Alright, just over twenty minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, rather than significant in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for the driver to claim the title two years ago. Max Verstappen wins F1 world title after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.