🔗 Share this article Qatar's Sprint Race and Main Event Qualifying: Live Coverage Preamble Philip will be here shortly to guide you through this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (6pm). Current Events Starting Lap Time The formation lap has begun. Track Information We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft informs us. Countdown The last moments has begun. Driver Situation One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to interfere with the team's lead driver. Interview Updates Sky's internal discussion now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team. Karun Chandhok is looking forward to the 2026 season, interviewing Adrian Newey about his stepping up to Aston Martin team principal. Starting Positions There are only sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 again on Friday. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane. The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise. Driver Comments "We'll use the learning for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that. Team Standings It's not all about the individual championship: The team have dominated the team championship but the team, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen. Past Performance Piastri won that day – as he managed the previous season, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a hat-trick. Short Race Importance Alright, just over twenty minutes to go till the short race begins. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of future events, rather than significant in its itself, with only eight points awarded to the winner. Mind you, second place here was enough for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season. The driver claimed the championship following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.