Philip is about to begin to guide you through today's sprint race (14:00 GMT) and qualifying (18:00 GMT).
The formation lap is underway.
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, David Croft reminds us.
The countdown is on.
An advantage in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is in front of him by a single position. He is unlikely to mess with the team's lead driver.
Sky speaking with Sky currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his stepping up to Aston Martin lead role.
There are only 16 cars on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for the driver: following his result of 20th and last in the previous race, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of Q1 again on the previous day. The team have as a result made changes to his setup and so he begins from the pit lane.
The team's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise.
"We take the experience for the next day," says Hadjar, 11th on the grid. Expect plenty of learning.
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the team championship but Mercedes, with a 40-point lead over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position this weekend. George Russell can help them achieve that from the front row, and Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Piastri won that day – as he managed last year, as well. The driver from McLaren is going for a third consecutive win.
Alright, approximately 20 minutes remaining till the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, its main importance is as an indication of what is to come, instead of significant in its own right, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
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Andrew Day
Andrew Day