Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Qualifying: Real-Time Coverage
Preamble
Our correspondent is about to begin to take you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
Live Feed
Formation Lap Period
The starting lap has begun.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, the commentator points out.
Countdown
The final countdown is on.
Driver Situation
One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. He is unlikely to interfere with Red Bull's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky interviewing Sky now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Grid Details
Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for the driver: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he did not manage to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. The team have consequently adjusted to his setup and so he begins from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, as well. The driver from McLaren is attempting a third consecutive win.
Sprint Race Value
Alright, just over twenty minutes remaining until 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 own right, with only eight points available to the winner. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for the driver to claim the title in a prior season.
The driver claimed F1 world title following his teammate's accident of the short race.
