🔗 Share this article Qatar's Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying: Live Updates Introduction Philip is arriving soon to cover today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT). Real-Time Updates Warm-Up Lap Time The warm-up lap has started. Circuit Details We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in F1, the commentator informs us. Countdown The final countdown is on. Driver Situation One point in Max Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. It's improbable to mess with the team's main man. Interview Updates Sky interviewing Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team. Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, speaking with Adrian Newey about his promotion to Aston Martin team principal. Starting Positions Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed 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 main race, he did not manage to advance of the first qualifying segment again on Friday. The team have consequently made changes to his setup and so he will start from the starting area. Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise. Driver Comments "We take the learning for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that. Constructors' Championship The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position during this event. Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen. Previous Results Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win. Sprint Race Value Alright, just over twenty minutes to go until the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of future events, instead of significant in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. However, the runner-up spot here was enough for Verstappen to become champion in a prior season. Max Verstappen wins the championship after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.