🔗 Share this article Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Live Coverage Preamble Our correspondent will be here shortly to guide you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT). Real-Time Updates Formation Lap Time The warm-up lap is underway. Circuit Details There are 19 laps around the lengthiest track in F1, David Croft informs us. Final Moments The countdown has begun. Racer Positions An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with the team's main man. Interview Updates Sky's internal discussion now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team. The analyst is looking forward to 2026, interviewing Adrian Newey about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role. Starting Positions Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he failed to make it out of Q1 once more on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start 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'll use the experience for the next day," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be plenty of learning. Constructors' Championship The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position during this event. George Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen. Previous Results Piastri was victorious then – as he managed the previous season, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick. Sprint Race Value Right, just over twenty minutes remaining until the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, its main importance is as an indication of future events, instead of highly important in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the victor. However, second place in this race was enough for the driver to claim the title two years ago. Max Verstappen wins F1 world title following Pérez crashes out of the short race.