🔗 Share this article Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Real-Time Updates Preamble The author is about to begin to take you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT). Current Events Warm-Up Lap Period The starting lap is underway. Circuit Details There are 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula One, the commentator reminds us. Final Moments The countdown has begun. Driver Situation One point in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with Red Bull's lead driver. Media Conversations Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is at the Mercedes team. Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with Adrian Newey about his stepping up to the team 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-place finish in the grand prix, he failed to make it out of the first qualifying segment once more on Friday. Ferrari have consequently adjusted to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane. Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise. Driver Comments "We take the learning for the next day," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning. Constructors' Championship It's not all about the individual championship: McLaren have run away with the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, are aiming to secure the runner-up position this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader. Previous Results Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he did last year, too. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick. Sprint Race Value Right, just over twenty minutes to go until the sprint race gets under way. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as a preview of what is to come, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season. The driver claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of the short race.