🔗 Share this article Qatar Short Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Real-Time Updates Opening Notes Philip is arriving soon to cover this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT). Live Feed Starting Lap Time The formation lap is underway. Track Information We have 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft informs us. Countdown The last moments has begun. Racer Positions An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver 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: Gary Neville is with Mercedes. The analyst is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to the team team principal. Starting Positions There are only 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, leading to an eighth-place finish in the main race, he failed to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. The team have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area. The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise. Driver Comments "We take the learning for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that. Team Standings It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the team championship but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader. Previous Results Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win. Short Race Importance Alright, just over twenty minutes to go until the sprint race begins. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the winner. Mind you, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for the driver to become champion two years ago. The driver wins F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.