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Preamble

Philip is arriving soon to take you through today's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).

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Starting Lap Period

The formation lap is underway.

Circuit Details

We have 19 laps around the lengthiest track in Formula 1, David Croft informs us.

Final Moments

The final countdown is underway.

Driver Situation

One point in Verstappen's favour: his teammate Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to mess with Red Bull's main man.

Interview Updates

Sky speaking with Sky now: the analyst is at the Mercedes team.

Karun Chandhok is looking forward to the 2026 season, speaking with Adrian Newey about his promotion to the team team principal.

Starting Positions

Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another poor grid-setting session for the driver: after coming 20th and last in the previous race, 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 made changes to his setup and so he will start from the starting area.

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

Racer Statements

"We'll use the experience for the next day," says Hadjar, starting eleventh. Expect plenty of learning.

Constructors' Championship

It's not all about the individual championship: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but the team, with a forty-point advantage over Red Bull, are aiming to secure the runner-up position during this event. Russell can assist in this goal from the front row, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.

Past Performance

Oscar Piastri won that day – as he did the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.

Sprint Race Value

Alright, just over 20 minutes to go till the sprint race gets under way. Unless something goes wrong, it's greatest value is as an indication of future events, rather than highly important in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the victor. However, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.

Max Verstappen wins F1 world title after Pérez crashes out of the short race.