🔗 Share this article Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Updates Preamble Philip is about to begin to take you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT). Current Events Starting Lap Time The warm-up lap has started. Track Information There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft informs us. Countdown The last moments is on. Racer Positions An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. He is unlikely to interfere with Red Bull's lead driver. Media Conversations Sky's internal discussion currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes. Karun Chandhok is looking forward to 2026, interviewing Adrian Newey about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal. Grid Details Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, resulting in an eighth position in the grand prix, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on the previous day. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the starting area. Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise. Racer Statements "We take the learning for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning. Constructors' Championship The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to seal second place during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen. Previous Results Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he did the previous season, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick. Sprint Race Value Right, approximately twenty minutes to go till the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, second place here was enough for the driver to become champion two years ago. The driver claimed the championship following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.