Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates
Introduction
Our correspondent is arriving soon to guide you through this day's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
Current Events
Starting Lap Time
The warm-up lap has begun.
Circuit Details
We have nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, David Croft reminds us.
Countdown
The last moments has begun.
Racer Positions
One point in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. It's improbable to challenge Red Bull's lead driver.
Media Conversations
Sky speaking with Sky currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.
The analyst is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, speaking with Adrian Newey about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars 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 failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. Ferrari have as a result made changes to his car configuration and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
Driver Comments
"We'll use the learning for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.
Team Standings
It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a 40-point lead over Red Bull, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind Verstappen.
Previous Results
Piastri was victorious then – as he did the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win.
Short Race Importance
Right, approximately twenty minutes remaining till the short race gets under way. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as an indication of what is to come, instead of highly important in its own right, with only eight points available to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to become champion two years ago.
The driver wins F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of the short race.
