🔗 Share this article Qatar Short Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage Preamble The author is about to begin to cover today's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT). Real-Time Updates Formation Lap Time The warm-up lap has begun. Circuit Details There are nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, David Croft points out. Final Moments The last moments is on. Racer Positions An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's main man. Media Conversations Sky's internal discussion currently: the analyst is with Mercedes. Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, speaking with Adrian Newey about his stepping up to Aston Martin lead role. Starting Positions Just 16 cars on the grid. It was another poor grid-setting session for the driver: following his result of 20th and last in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of the first qualifying segment once more on Friday. The team have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area. Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise. Driver Comments "We'll use the learning for the next day," states Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect a lot of that. Team Standings The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: McLaren have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position during this event. George Russell can assist in this goal from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen. Previous Results Piastri was victorious then – as he did the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is attempting a hat-trick. Short Race Importance Alright, approximately twenty minutes remaining until the short race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, instead of highly important in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. However, second place in this race was enough for Verstappen to claim the title two years ago. The driver claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.