đŸ”— Share this article Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Grid Setting: Live Updates Opening Notes Our correspondent is arriving soon to take you through this day's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT). Current Events Warm-Up Lap Period The warm-up lap has started. Track Information There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, David Croft reminds us. Countdown The countdown is underway. Driver Situation An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to interfere with the team's main man. Interview Updates Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team. Karun Chandhok is looking forward to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to the team team principal. Grid Details There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of twentieth and final in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. The team have as a result adjusted to his setup and so he will start from the starting area. Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position. Driver Comments "We'll use the experience for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that. Team Standings The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, 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 second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen. Previous Results Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win. Short Race Importance Right, approximately 20 minutes to go until the short race gets under way. Barring disaster, 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 winner. However, second place here was sufficient for the driver to claim the title in a prior season. The driver claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.