🔗 Share this article Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates Opening Notes Philip will be here shortly to guide you through this day's short race (2pm GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT). Real-Time Updates Starting Lap Time The warm-up lap has begun. Circuit Details We have 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, the commentator reminds us. Countdown The final countdown has begun. Racer Positions An advantage in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to challenge the team's lead driver. Interview Updates Sky speaking with Sky now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team. Karun Chandhok is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role. Starting Positions Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he did not manage to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on Friday. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the pit lane. The team's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Gasly and Colapinto are all starting from the same position. Racer Statements "We take the experience for tomorrow," says Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning. Constructors' Championship The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: The team have dominated the constructors' gong but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen. Previous Results Piastri was victorious then – as he did the previous season, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win. Sprint Race Value Right, just over twenty minutes remaining till the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of future events, rather than highly important in its own right, with only eight points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot in this race was enough for the driver to become champion in a prior season. The driver claimed F1 world title following Pérez crashes out of the short race.