Our correspondent is about to begin to guide you through this day's short race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (18:00 GMT).
The formation lap is underway.
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in F1, the commentator informs us.
The last moments is underway.
One point in Verstappen's advantage: his fellow driver Tsunoda is ahead of him by one place. He is unlikely to mess with Red Bull's main man.
Sky interviewing Sky currently: the analyst is with Mercedes.
The analyst is looking forward to 2026, speaking with the engineer about his promotion to the team team principal.
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for the driver: following his result of 20th and last in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he failed to advance of Q1 once more on the previous day. The team have consequently adjusted to his car configuration and so he begins from the starting area.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine duo of Gasly and Franco Colapinto are all starting from the same position.
"We take the learning for tomorrow," says Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be plenty of learning.
The focus isn't solely on the individual championship: The team have run away with the team championship 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 second place, and Kimi Antonelli will start just behind the leader.
Oscar Piastri won that day – as he managed the previous season, too. McLaren's Australian is going for a hat-trick.
Alright, just over 20 minutes remaining until the short race begins. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of what is to come, instead of significant in its itself, with just eight championship points awarded to the winner. Mind you, the runner-up spot here was sufficient for Verstappen to claim the title in a prior season.
Max Verstappen claimed the championship following Pérez crashes out of Qatar GP sprint race.
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