🔗 Share this article Qatar Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Coverage Introduction Philip is arriving soon to cover today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm). Real-Time Updates Starting Lap Period The formation lap is underway. Track Information There are nineteen laps around the lengthiest track in F1, the commentator informs us. Countdown The final countdown is on. Racer Positions One point in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to challenge Red Bull's main man. Media Conversations Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is with Mercedes. Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his promotion to the team lead role. Starting Positions Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to make it out of Q1 once more on the previous day. Ferrari have consequently made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area. The team's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position. Driver Comments "We'll use the experience for tomorrow," states Hadjar, starting eleventh. There will be a lot of that. Constructors' Championship The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have dominated the team championship but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, are aiming to seal second place this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen. Previous Results Oscar Piastri won that day – as he managed last year, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win. Sprint Race Value Alright, just over twenty minutes to go till the short race begins. Barring disaster, it's greatest value is as an indication of what is to come, instead of significant in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. However, second place in this race was enough for the driver to become champion in a prior season. Max Verstappen wins the championship after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.