🔗 Share this article

Preamble

The author will be here shortly to guide you through this day's short race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (6pm).

Live Feed

Warm-Up Lap Period

The formation lap has started.

Circuit Details

There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, David Croft points out.

Final Moments

The countdown is underway.

Driver Situation

An advantage in Max Verstappen's favour: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to challenge Red Bull's main man.

Media Conversations

Sky speaking with Sky currently: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.

Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing Adrian Newey about his stepping up to Aston Martin lead role.

Starting Positions

Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for Lewis Hamilton: after coming twentieth and final in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of Q1 once more on Friday. The team have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the starting area.

The team's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all doing likewise.

Racer Statements

"We'll use the learning for the next day," says Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect a lot of that.

Constructors' Championship

The focus isn't solely on the drivers' title: McLaren have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, are aiming to seal second place during this event. George Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Kimi Antonelli will begin immediately after Verstappen.

Past Performance

Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he did last year, as well. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.

Short Race Importance

Alright, just over 20 minutes remaining until 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 itself, with only eight points awarded to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot in this race was sufficient for the driver to become champion in a prior season.

The driver claimed F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of the short race.