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Preamble

Philip will be here shortly to guide you through today's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).

Current Events

Starting Lap Period

The warm-up lap is underway.

Circuit Details

There are 19 laps of the longest circuit in Formula 1, the commentator points out.

Final Moments

The last moments is underway.

Driver Situation

One point in Max Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Yuki Tsunoda is ahead of him by a single position. He is unlikely to interfere with Red Bull's main man.

Media Conversations

Sky's internal discussion currently: Gary Neville is with Mercedes.

Karun Chandhok is jumping ahead to 2026, interviewing the engineer about his promotion to Aston Martin lead role.

Starting Positions

Just sixteen vehicles on the grid. It was another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: after coming 20th and last in Las Vegas, resulting in an eighth position in the grand prix, he did not manage to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. The team have as a result adjusted to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.

Aston Martin's Stroll and the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.

Racer Statements

"We'll use the experience for tomorrow," states Isack Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect plenty of learning.

Team Standings

The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have dominated the team championship but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to seal second place this weekend. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.

Past Performance

Piastri was victorious then – as he managed last year, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a third consecutive win.

Sprint Race Value

Alright, just over 20 minutes remaining till the short race begins. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as a preview of future events, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the victor. Mind you, second place in this race was enough for the driver to become champion in a prior season.

The driver claimed F1 world title after his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.