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00:00:00Through into the braking zone of Tam Morello. Leclerc flies past Antonelli and up into the top 7.
00:00:07Antonelli now displaced to 8th ahead of Leclerc.
00:00:10Well, Isaac Hajar is still holding on inside the top 6 and doing a great job for Racing Bulls as the French rookie.
00:00:18Verstappen, though, still needs almost 20 seconds to get out.
00:00:21But the speed difference is shocking compared to what the Ferraris are able to do to poor old Kimi Antonelli there.
00:00:27And it's not a tyre thing because Hamilton's on the mediums as well.
00:00:30So since Antonelli went onto the mediums, he's suffered as much as George Russell was, you'd have to say, at the start of the race.
00:00:37We saw even on Friday there was talk of a Ferrari race pace looking rather good, if not one of the better ones out on circuit.
00:00:43Well, they are carving their way through the field again.
00:00:45And here we go, though, with this battle closing in for the Williams.
00:00:51It's Alex Albon in third.
00:00:53Oskar Piastri is chasing him down.
00:00:56Will he be within DRS zone?
00:00:57Down the start-finish straight.
00:00:59The rear wing doesn't open, but he's closing in on him.
00:01:03But Ted Albon running a brilliant race so far for Williams.
00:01:06And if anyone can look after the tyres and be the old Minister of Defence, then it's Alex Albon.
00:01:11I mean, he's done it before, hasn't he?
00:01:12Williams will be pinning everything to him, trying to keep Piastri behind.
00:01:16But Piastri has been so good overtaking so many people that you wouldn't put it past them.
00:01:20But Williams haven't given up on this podium.
00:01:23It's a tall order, and they might face just as much pressure from Hamilton eventually as they are from Piastri now.
00:01:30But make no mistake, Williams are going for it.
00:01:31Oh, talking of going for it, Harry?
00:01:33Niko Hülkenberg looking ragged, makes his way through on Fernando Alonso.
00:01:38Welcome to the party.
00:01:40Sauber in their 600th race, celebrating that today.
00:01:44Hülkenberg up inside the top 10.
00:01:47And at the team, well, where he was reserved not too long ago in the Sauber,
00:01:51gets himself up into the top 10 positions.
00:01:54That P5 on the grid for Fernando Alonso in the momentous occasion of yesterday's qualifying must seem like a distant memory right now.
00:02:03Just saw a yellow flag infringement there for Albon, which has been noted.
00:02:06So we'll keep an eye on that.
00:02:08That's Tsunoda slowly working his way up the order from the pit lane
00:02:13and making his way past the second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll coming in to Tamburello.
00:02:20But back up front, the battle for the final step on the podium continues on lap 40.
00:02:25It's Alex Albon trying to defend from Oscar Piastri, but the McLaren with the advantage once again.
00:02:32Piastri makes his way through and as he gets it, that yellow flag infringement has turned to no further investigation.
00:02:38So Williams can breathe a sigh of relief and get on with the rest of their race.
00:02:42But the McLaren back up into the top three.
00:02:46Surprised, actually, just how easy that was for Piastri.
00:02:49I know, of course, the speed of the McLaren, you would expect it eventually,
00:02:53but Albon couldn't really do anything in that fight at all, could he?
00:02:57I thought he... I was in two minds.
00:02:59You either defend massively and try everything at all costs to hang on to a podium position,
00:03:04or you just consolidate and you take this opportunity to potentially have a P4 today,
00:03:09because what an achievement that would be.
00:03:12You've got to look at what's realistic in this race today with Hamilton charging up behind you as well,
00:03:17only 9.3 seconds away. Surely that's got to be more of your concern.
00:03:21Albon could be looking at back-to-back top five finishes here in a Grand Prix.
00:03:25He's already got two top five finishes so far this year.
00:03:29It's been the best start to Alex Albon's career.
00:03:32Indeed, Williams absolutely flying.
00:03:34The podium may well be slipping away, but there is a strong result on the cards for the team.
00:03:40Charles Leclerc hasn't had an easy day, but he is now starting to come back.
00:03:45Here we go. He's in 7th. He's chasing Isaac Hajar and closing in on him.
00:03:49Hajar won't be able to defend using DRS.
00:03:52He's not close enough to the back of the car in front.
00:03:55That's Lewis Hamilton, so Charles Leclerc gets the DRS, closes in on him.
00:03:59Hajar tries to defend, sweeps out to the outside line.
00:04:03Leclerc darts down the inside, and the Ferrari ahead of the racing bulls.
00:04:08Yeah, the racing bulls, straight-line speed, no match for the Ferrari today.
00:04:12And look at this race pace from the front, absolutely mighty.
00:04:15It's what we saw in free practice, too, as well.
00:04:17There's Lewis Hamilton just ahead of Leclerc.
00:04:19He's really got the bit between the teeth right now,
00:04:21and I'm sure we're going to hear on the radio at some point,
00:04:23these harder tyres, definitely stronger than Hamilton's mediums,
00:04:27who he's really nursing at this stage.
00:04:29So I'm sure we're going to be hearing a radio message at some point,
00:04:32a friendly request, perhaps, to Lewis Hamilton
00:04:35to let pass the car with a better strategy, perhaps, at this stage in the race.
00:04:41Let's wait and see.
00:04:42I look forward to those tasty radio messages.
00:04:44I'm already getting a few printed up on T-shirts.
00:04:47Here's Yuki Tsunoda, who is all over the back of Fernando Alonso.
00:04:52That top-five start, as you were saying earlier, really falling away from him.
00:04:56He was best qualifying since China last year.
00:04:59Fernando Alonso still yet to score points this season, either.
00:05:02His last points in Abu Dhabi, again, last year, and it's falling away at the moment,
00:05:08but still confidence to be taken and some motivation for the team with the upgrades.
00:05:13The team saying, not bringing massive amounts of time,
00:05:16but bringing a little something, and that qualifying, giving that team a boost.
00:05:21That earlier pit stop for the Aston Martins, going on to the harder tyres,
00:05:25and then committing to it under the virtual safety guard,
00:05:28choosing, basically, track position over the new tyres' speed.
00:05:32So I think that's what's really hurting them right now.
00:05:36Carlos Sainz just eyeing up Nico Hülkenberg down into Tamburello.
00:05:40The Sauber tries to defend, but the Williams, with better straight-line speed,
00:05:44round the outside, and Sainz gets himself up into the top ten.
00:05:48That's two Williams now inside the top ten,
00:05:51and Yuki Tsunoda has gone ahead of Fernando Alonso as well to worsen the Spaniard's day.
00:05:57He's now down to 13th, with his teammate a couple of seconds behind Stroll in 14th,
00:06:02and we're just about to see how it happens.
00:06:04So while we were watching Sauber versus Williams, Aston Martin versus Red Bull,
00:06:09and it was Red Bull who managed to get through on that occasion.
00:06:12Let's check in with Ted.
00:06:14Just looking across the Red Bull garage, all calm there,
00:06:17GP Lambiazi fiddling with his pen and just sort of scratching his head,
00:06:21but there's really nothing to scratch your head about.
00:06:23Remember Friday, Harry, when Max Verstappen was saying,
00:06:26we know we're on pace, and we know we're on race pace.
00:06:29He even said, I got overtaken by a McLaren on the long runs, didn't he?
00:06:33They transformed their car, not only for qualifying, but also for race pace.
00:06:38I've been looking at Verstappen's team. Ready?
00:06:41It's going to be a torture.
00:06:43This is the luckiest driver in the world.
00:06:50He's still got the passion, hasn't he, after all these years?
00:06:53He certainly has.
00:06:54But, yeah, Verstappen's lap times in these long runs,
00:06:58just so metronomically consistently perfect.
00:07:02And Lando's not really closing on him by a tenth or so.
00:07:06But, you know, do you think Lando's got any kind of pace?
00:07:08And, Bernie, Harry, in this last sort of 10, 15 laps towards the end?
00:07:13Well, last lap around, Max Verstappen, a 1.95.
00:07:15Lando Norris, a 1.196.
00:07:19The gap, 18 seconds.
00:07:21And plus, and over that, it's going to be, I think, tough for Norris.
00:07:24But let's see, because we still could have a few spanners thrown into the works
00:07:29as we start to creep in to the latter part of this Grand Prix.
00:07:35Max Verstappen, who has been having a nice time of it so far.
00:07:39Well, when you compare it to Fernando Alonso.
00:07:43Don't spot that.
00:07:47Pierre Gasly, I think that was a thank you for being let through on Franco Colopinto,
00:07:51who's been having a quiet race, but down in 16th after making a bit of a mess in qualifying yesterday.
00:07:58Alpine doing a great job to get that car repaired in time for the Grand Prix today.
00:08:03Yeah, it was the right thing to do, wasn't it?
00:08:05Colopinto hasn't had the speed, of course, of Pierre Gasly all weekend.
00:08:08And Pierre Gasly finds himself out of position now.
00:08:11The car, although it hasn't got the same race pace qualities as it did in qualifying,
00:08:17it's still I feel like he's a bit out of position right now.
00:08:20Looking at Leclerc here, he's got Hamilton in front of him.
00:08:23He's sitting at 1.3 seconds behind now.
00:08:25He's seemed to have calmed down in his approach.
00:08:29Now he's displaced the cars that he really needed to.
00:08:33Now focusing on getting through to the end of this race and maybe will be on the attack later on,
00:08:38giving Lewis the chance as well to do exactly the same thing.
00:08:41But obviously very different tyres for them, different strategies going on at this point.
00:08:46Hamilton, wonder when he's going to start focusing in on the back of Alex Albon's Williams.
00:08:52Is it achievable based on the race pace we've seen so far from Ferrari this weekend?
00:08:56You'd have to say yes, it is. But which one has the better tyres to get that job done?
00:09:02My gut feeling is that it's Leclerc. The longer we go into this race,
00:09:06I feel like these harder tyres are going to be the ones to see him through.
00:09:09And if you're going to mount an attack on that Williams, maybe it's the car we're riding on board with right now.
00:09:14But Lewis will try everything he can to stop that from happening, I'm sure.
00:09:21Yeah, 1.3 seconds the gap. You can see it visibly what that looks like as Leclerc makes his way through Tamburello.
00:09:28And I'm sure at some point Leclerc is going to be on the radio making that call saying,
00:09:32I'm starting to feel the turbulence here. Let's have a think.
00:09:36Celebrating one year, though, as well, for Charles Leclerc and race engineer Brian Botsy and their relationship together.
00:09:43So crucial to have a strong relationship on your pit wall, just like we do up in race control.
00:09:48Bernie Collins. Thanks for that, Harry.
00:09:50We're just watching the lap times of Hamilton versus Albon.
00:09:53He's closing at a rate around four or five tenths a lap.
00:09:57So not as strong as you would maybe expect from the Ferrari versus the Williams at this stage.
00:10:01With the gap we currently have, that's going to take him 14 or 15 laps.
00:10:05Antonelli's off. Sorry, Bernie. Antonelli going slow. And Antonelli, let's hear from him.
00:10:10I got an issue. OK, copy.
00:10:13An issue for Kimi Antonelli. What's this going to do?
00:10:16The last time a driver pulled up on the side of the grass, it was Esteban Ocon and we got a virtual safety car.
00:10:22What's that going to do? Antonelli coming to a slow on the exit of the Tozer hairpin.
00:10:31Yellow flag out in that sector. Ferrari ready themselves in the pit lane.
00:10:37If a safety car, a VSC is thrown, you get a cheap pit stop.
00:10:4118 seconds compared to around about 28 seconds on the green flag.
00:10:45And it's safety car. It's full safety car deployed by race control.
00:10:50Kimi Antonelli is out of this race.
00:10:52The boy from Bologna on home soil showed his school class around here on Thursday.
00:10:57The omens have not been strong enough for Antonelli. But what is that going to do to this race?
00:11:02Let's just see and hear what happened to Antonelli coming through Villeneuve.
00:11:20And just comes out, you know, you know, Harry, as we see the probably Max Verstappen coming in right now.
00:11:26Yes, he does. So that's a free pit stop for him.
00:11:28Yes, she's been. If Alonso is the unluckiest driver in the virtual safety car today, Verstappen's got to be the luckiest.
00:11:34Yeah, let's bring in Bernie Collins again. Once again, working well for Max Verstappen.
00:11:39So it's going to be very interesting to see what Norris does now because Norris doesn't have a free pit stop.
00:11:43He will come out behind Piastri. What did McLaren do as a team?
00:11:47Piastri also doesn't have a free pit stop behind him.
00:11:50So it's a very tough decision, I would say, for McLaren. Norris locks in.
00:11:55Oh, it's slightly slow though for Lando Norris.
00:11:58We need to stay out. We don't have a tyre that can do to the end.
00:12:02Soft will be better than that.
00:12:04It's 17 laps, Charles. 17 laps to the end.
00:12:07How many laps have my medium? Medium has 11 laps.
00:12:13Through goes Piastri. I wonder, Norris was going very slowly out of the pit lane.
00:12:16He does emerge, but it's the Williams that's going to be side by side.
00:12:21As they come out under safety car conditions, who got there first?
00:12:24Lando Norris just making his way through there.
00:12:29Hamilton gets rid of his medium tyres as well.
00:12:31He's on to the hards and that's Isaac Hadjar in the background as well on his way in.
00:12:36But it sounded like before we saw these pit stops, I was saying,
00:12:38sounded like Antonelli. It coincided with running over the kerb on the exit of the Villeneuve chicane.
00:12:44Literally, as soon as he went onto the kerb, he seemed to lose drive.
00:12:49Antonelli's first Grand Prix retirement comes in his home event.
00:12:54Won't be long, though, until he can focus on the next race next week in Monaco.
00:12:58So Hadjar pits then. Norris just got out ahead of Alex Albon.
00:13:02But it'll be interesting here what the two McLarens do and how the team operate that.
00:13:07Lando Norris now with the advantage of younger tyres.
00:13:12Max Verstappen with the continued advantage as Alonso comes in as well.
00:13:16So with Albon staying out there, you'd have to say he's going to be in a bit more of a vulnerable position,
00:13:22especially with the likes of Hamilton, for example, who we saw pit and put on that set of hard tyres.
00:13:27So although it was Albon putting Norris under pressure immediately after the pit stop, Norris stays ahead.
00:13:33He's got track position, but it's Albon who must be thinking, well,
00:13:36we might be in a situation like Aston Martin were earlier on with others putting fresher tyres on around us.
00:13:43You heard earlier on the radio, Charles Leclerc wanting to come in, but being told,
00:13:48well, we don't have a tyre that can make it all the way to the end.
00:13:51They feel safety car has caught Max Verstappen.
00:13:55So it's going to be a while before they close up because we've just seen one of the Saubers come through as well.
00:14:00Ted, do you know about that?
00:14:02I mean, once we do all the safety car stuff and get the car out of the way and all of the things we have to do,
00:14:06it's probably going to be what? 11, 12 laps to the end.
00:14:09I think Assaf could have done that. So yeah, Leclerc not getting the service.
00:14:15But Piastri, let's talk about him not pitting either.
00:14:19And well, that's going to make him very vulnerable to Norris from behind.
00:14:23Albon does come in and so he's not in that position that we thought he might be in.
00:14:27So that's perfect from Williams.
00:14:30But the safety car, that's going to be a sprint to the end with everyone bunched up.
00:14:36It's been a rather enjoyable Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix so far. Qualifying was fantastic.
00:14:41And if this is the last Imola race we get for a little while,
00:14:45well, it is putting on a show for us under the sunshine here in the Italian countryside and giving the engineers,
00:14:52I think, a headache on the pit wall with how they negotiate this one.
00:14:56But for Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team, well, was it all done on lap one of turn one?
00:15:03Absolutely fantastic racing, but with a sprint to the finish, it'll all close up and it could be fireworks towards the end.
00:15:12Well, as they start to close up, there will be a disparity between who's on used and who's on new tyres.
00:15:17Bernie Collins, can you fill us in on that?
00:15:20Yeah, there's a lot going on, Harry.
00:15:21But I think, as we mentioned, Piastri there on 17 lap old hard tyres didn't take the pit stop.
00:15:27Norris did. Do you want to talk through this?
00:15:30Yeah, this is the slow stop, wasn't it, Bernie?
00:15:33Just that right front just awkwardly going on there.
00:15:39And just to pick up on that, you know, he was very, very close with Albon on exit.
00:15:43They were checking with the FIA who actually was ahead when they got to that safety car line,
00:15:48but he didn't lose any positions because of that. This is just a check here.
00:15:51Oh, it's very close. It's tight. If anything, it looks like Albon was the one ahead.
00:15:57But now Albon's boxed, so they can't give that position back anymore.
00:16:01So it's going to be tricky what they do now with this.
00:16:05But I think the other tricky thing is what are McLaren going to do across their two cars at the restart?
00:16:11They've got eight, 16 laps different tyre age, so Norris should be significantly faster.
00:16:17But we could have our first proper McLaren team fight,
00:16:22but Piastri might be doing it with one hand tied behind his back.
00:16:26This is a really interesting deliberation now for McLaren then, isn't it?
00:16:31The best tyres you have to fight Max Verstappen for the race win today is Lando Norris,
00:16:37who sits behind Oscar Piastri, but they're fighting for their own World Championship.
00:16:42What do you do?
00:16:44I would want to be on the pit wall of McLaren. I don't know about you,
00:16:48but we could be in for an absolute sprint finish, fireworks perhaps thrown up in the closing stages
00:16:54of this Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, the field closing up under safety car
00:16:59because Kimi Antonelli has had to pull over and retire his Mercedes,
00:17:03a recovery vehicle required to be out on track and get that car into a safe space.
00:17:08So the safety car called for that.
00:17:10Strong showings too so far for the likes of Alex Albon, who did come into the pits under this period.
00:17:16So we'll also be in the hunt for another top five finish this season.
00:17:20Could he make it back to back top five finishes and continue Williams' spectacular year?
00:17:26Right now, they've got two cars inside the top ten and just on the periphery,
00:17:30Isaac Hajar, Mika Hülkenberg too.
00:17:34I'm looking to see if we can finish at the points and I'm not being pessimistic.
00:17:39These tyres are going to be incredibly difficult to restart.
00:17:45Charles Leclerc questioning whether these tyres can even get him into the end and keep himself in the points.
00:17:49We'll have another lap under safety car, but Ted tyres the constant talk of a town
00:17:54and it will be when we go racing again because McLaren have got some things to do in the last ten laps or so.
00:17:59Well, we've got a situation like in Japan where McLaren have to work as a team to try and beat Max Verstappen.
00:18:05On that day in Japan, remember a few months ago, a couple of months ago,
00:18:10they didn't take the opportunity.
00:18:12But even this morning, Harry, the team radio.
00:18:18I see Oskar's tyres are pretty dead.
00:18:22If we want any chance of trying to go for the lead, then I guess we know what to do.
00:18:26I'm not asking to let me by. I'm just saying,
00:18:28let's not make it too hard for one another.
00:18:31If we fight, then we can go backwards.
00:18:34He is kind of asking to be put through and Andrea Stella was saying that we've learnt the lessons from Japan.
00:18:41Well, this will prove it, won't it?
00:18:43Have they? And I would imagine if he's true to his word, Stella, which he always has been in my experience,
00:18:49they will say to Oskar, look, the only chance we've got, the best chance or maybe not the only chance,
00:18:54but clearly the best chance is for you to let Lando Norris pass immediately and let him have a go at Max Verstappen.
00:19:01But Verstappen, as we've said, is no slouch.
00:19:04His car is quick and he's on the new tyres.
00:19:06It won't be easy for either McLaren.
00:19:09No, but surely they've got to give their drivers a chance.
00:19:13And Norris does have the advantage of those cleaner tyres.
00:19:16The race hasn't panned out for Oskar Piastri ever since his first pit stop.
00:19:20Well, I'm torn with this decision, Harry, let alone McLaren, because although I want to see McLaren's fight each other,
00:19:26the two drivers on track, no team orders.
00:19:29I mean, I'm kind of relishing the opportunity to see that because we haven't really so far.
00:19:35The two drivers go toe to toe.
00:19:37But equally, I want to see the leader of the race challenged as well.
00:19:42McLaren have got a decision to make in a week of celebration.
00:19:47The safety car out on track, the first safety car deployed at the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix.
00:19:54Gone through a few iterations of car at the front.
00:19:56Now this weekend, that Aston Martin leading the way for another lap.
00:20:00It's taking a little longer, I think, than they would have liked to get Kimi Antonelli's car in a safe position.
00:20:07One of two retirements, along with Esteban Ocon as well.
00:20:10Just 18 cars left in this field.
00:20:12There is that recovery vehicle, which has now taken Antonelli's car to the top of the hill to a marshal post and an exit.
00:20:21There are the tires that Oscar Piastri will be up against.
00:20:24He'll be racing against his teammate and himself to keep that car on the road in front.
00:20:30Piastri will be under pressure from the get go.
00:20:33McLaren with a big decision to make.
00:20:36And he's in exactly the same situation, isn't he, as Leclerc, who was complaining, not being negative or pessimistic in his own words,
00:20:43but he was saying old hard tires this stage in the race can be incredibly hard to restart.
00:20:50So if McLaren aren't going to do or give team orders to swap positions, that's when Lando Norris has to hit it hard.
00:20:59It's going to be a sprint to the finish because we've still got to get Berman to unlap himself to who is in between Verstappen and Piastri at the moment.
00:21:10So the call will come for that on the timing screen shortly, just taking a little longer than they would have liked.
00:21:17But starting to clear now in those track sectors, Verstappen then with the advantage of track position, Piastri with worn tires,
00:21:25his teammate right behind with fresh tires, Charles Leclerc, who in the Ferrari is at a mighty race, battling up and down the grid,
00:21:33but has left himself perhaps short to the end with also highly degraded tires.
00:21:40Alex Albon running well for Williams.
00:21:42George Russell is another one who might be struggling to the end on that set of tires.
00:21:46He's had problems with the rear end of his Mercedes since, well, the formation lap.
00:21:50Lewis Hamilton, too, in the end.
00:21:53The two Ferraris going for a split strategy, but both of them making gains from where they started.
00:21:58Sainz making it to Williams inside the top 10 at the moment.
00:22:02Hajar going well along with Nico Hülkenberg in the Sauber, who's quietly made his way up into the top 10.
00:22:08But with the field now closed up under safety car, once we get back going again,
00:22:13those finer points places will also be a great battle with Tsunoda working his way from the pit lane,
00:22:18trying to give something to Red Bull as they celebrate 400 Grand Prix.
00:22:22So, too, for Gasly and Liam Lawson as well.
00:22:25We've seen nothing of him.
00:22:27Let's talk about the two Aston Martins, too, all the way down in 14th and 15th.
00:22:30There is the signal that lapped cars may now overtake.
00:22:34That is just Oliver Behrmann, who gets released and will make his way and form up right at the back.
00:22:44So, yeah, we've got a little bit more time, therefore, to let the lapped cars overtake the safety car
00:22:50and work their way back around.
00:22:52As you can see on the track map to the right-hand side, Oli Behrmann released from the safety car.
00:22:56Got to work his way back around to the back of the pack before we get going again.
00:23:01Yeah, just making his way now through Acqua Minerali.
00:23:04OK, so they'll start to form up then before we get this race restarted,
00:23:08and it will be a sprint to the finish.
00:23:10Let's check in with Sky's Race Control, Bernie Collins.
00:23:13Yeah, I expect it will be this lapped car, like you say.
00:23:15So, as we've gone through, the ones to watch, Piastri, Leclerc, Russell and Sainz,
00:23:20all on old hard tyres, 22-lap old hard tyres.
00:23:25Are they going to restart well enough? That's the big question.
00:23:28Quickly listen to Piastri's radio.
00:23:30There was no chat on Piastri's radio of boxing under that safety car.
00:23:34He didn't ask for it, they didn't tell him to.
00:23:36There would have been enough space to stop the cars.
00:23:39Thanks, Bernie.
00:23:40Well, Oliver Behrmann then unleashed to join at the back of the pack.
00:23:44Lewis Hamilton, we're hearing on the radio, saying that we're just wasting laps
00:23:49while under the safety car, but it's important to make sure the car is cleared in a safe space,
00:23:54and that the recovery vehicles are on the track.
00:23:56Exactly. What the drivers can't see in that situation is to see where the safety vehicles are,
00:24:00where the marshals are on track as well, as we're going to do another lap here.
00:24:04They're just following protocol.
00:24:06You can't be frustrated.
00:24:08As much as we want to see the race going again and the drivers want to get going again,
00:24:12you can't, you can't or shouldn't mess with the protocol.
00:24:18Never mess with the protocol, not when Anthony Davidson is standing next to you,
00:24:21but as well for the likes of Oscar Piastri, for Charles Leclerc, for George Russell.
00:24:26Well, as I say that, the safety car is ending,
00:24:29but this would have helped them and given them a little bit less to deal with on those really worn tyres,
00:24:35but official confirmation then from race control that the safety car is coming in at the end of this lap.
00:24:41So Bert Mielander at the wheel of that Aston Martin will floor it back to the pit lane
00:24:47and then Max Verstappen will effectively take control of the pace.
00:24:51Well, what the safety cars likely do in this situation, Harry,
00:24:54is to drive actually a little bit slower to allow Beerman to catch back up to the back of the pack.
00:24:58And then you hear the driver saying, why is the safety car driving so slowly?
00:25:02Well, again, that's, you're actually saving time by the safety car going slowly.
00:25:07So, yeah, Beerman now works his way out of the Tamburone chicane as they're heading down out of Piratella.
00:25:13So he's almost there.
00:25:15Yeah, just a couple of corners away from the back of Gabriel Bortoletto, who is in 17th position.
00:25:20He's just behind Colin Pinto at the back of two Aston Martins from top 10 qualifying positions,
00:25:25now find themselves in 14th and 15th.
00:25:28So Beerman, they're not too far away from closing up as they now start to form up the safety car in this lap.
00:25:36So Bert Mielander now making his way back to the pits.
00:25:39Verstappen slows right down, weaving to try and get that all-important tyre temperature for Piastri.
00:25:47There is a tyre disparity up inside the top seven, some with fresher tyres, some with not.
00:25:53It's going to be a sprint to the finish for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
00:25:58Max Verstappen, Red Bull versus McLaren.
00:26:03Lando Norris making his case for a quick battle with his teammate, Oscar Piastri.
00:26:08But what about Charles Leclerc as well?
00:26:10Max Verstappen with his foot to the floor.
00:26:13And we are back racing in Imola as we continue round.
00:26:17Green flag running.
00:26:18It's a sprint to the finish.
00:26:20Verstappen leads, Oscar Piastri.
00:26:22Lando Norris over the line.
00:26:24Can Norris close up enough to try something into Tamburello?
00:26:27Charles Leclerc might fancy his chances.
00:26:29To the inside.
00:26:31Has a think about it.
00:26:32Bails out of it.
00:26:33Not close enough as they all make their way single file through Tamburello.
00:26:38Good restart from Max Verstappen.
00:26:39I was busy watching the pressure that Lando Norris was putting on Oscar Piastri.
00:26:43But then in his mirror, suddenly, you've got the hard-charging Ferrari.
00:26:47That straight-line speed is something else today.
00:26:49And that was without DRS, of course.
00:26:51DRS will be activated the next lap around.
00:26:53But Verstappen, with the restart that he needed,
00:26:56already putting a second over Oscar Piastri.
00:26:58Meanwhile, it was a good start for Charles Leclerc.
00:27:00But now he's got to look at Alex Albon,
00:27:02who is feeling bold under the heat in Italy this afternoon.
00:27:06Looking for back-to-back top five finishes
00:27:09as the Thai driver tucked up right behind Charles Leclerc.
00:27:12The other Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton coming through the screen now.
00:27:16Watching George Russell's Mercedes with great intrigue over the top chicane.
00:27:21Albon with the tyre advantage, of course, over Leclerc,
00:27:23who we heard complaining on the radio,
00:27:25teeing it up to his team, saying, not being pessimistic.
00:27:29But yeah, here we go.
00:27:30Alex Albon gets a good run through the Rabattas.
00:27:35Sonoda managed to get himself up into the points on that restart
00:27:38and putting Hülkenberg down outside the top ten.
00:27:42I've just seen an incident involving Norris and Albon
00:27:44noted for a safety car infringement.
00:27:47Was that from earlier when Norris was fed out into the lap onto the track?
00:27:55And Albon was right there.
00:27:56We saw the replay of it.
00:27:57Looked so tight to where that safety car line was.
00:27:59Need a closer look at that.
00:28:01That 55 of 63 in the closing stage of this Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
00:28:07And this was the move I just mentioned.
00:28:09Yuki Sonoda up and over the hill at the Piratella.
00:28:15It crosses the line, gets the better arm on the exit,
00:28:17and the Sauber's in the gravel momentarily as well for good measure.
00:28:20So nicely planned there by Yuki Sonoda.
00:28:24Managing to get two red balls inside the points now.
00:28:26Sonoda having made his way up there from the pit lane.
00:28:29Verstappen, though, 1.8 seconds out in front.
00:28:32And that gap increasing.
00:28:34Norris versus Piastri.
00:28:36This is going to be a headache for the McLaren pit wall.
00:28:40Lando Norris has fresher hard tires.
00:28:43Oscar Piastri with not as fresh tires.
00:28:47But Piastri at the moment keeping ahead.
00:28:49Norris will need to try and close up with DRS.
00:28:52And maybe he'll feel like he'll need to show the team how much quicker he is.
00:28:57Let's see how much pace he can gather down the start-finish straight with DRS.
00:29:02Piastri won't get any of it.
00:29:05So it's that four-tenth of a second advantage you get around this circuit by using DRS.
00:29:11Not enough this time for Lando Norris.
00:29:14At 56 of 63, the problem is, though, that Max Verstappen is already up sticks and gone up the way.
00:29:21He's two and a half seconds clear of Piastri now.
00:29:23It's the dream scenario, isn't it?
00:29:24You've got a car that's potentially quicker than you,
00:29:27but on worse tires, holding up the guy that's on the fresher tires that could be your biggest threat.
00:29:32It's been a dreamy Sunday for Max Verstappen, it has to be said.
00:29:35But he made it happen with that first lap move around the outside of Oskar Piastri.
00:29:40Just update from Race Control, that safety car infringement,
00:29:44no further investigation between Lando Norris and Alex Albon.
00:29:48So they can put that out of their minds and race all the way to the very end.
00:29:51So Verstappen holding forth at the front.
00:29:54Norris closing in on his teammate Piastri.
00:29:56Charles Leclerc has got Alex Albon on his back.
00:29:58And Lewis Hamilton, you can see here, over Variante Alta, riding the curves,
00:30:04closing in on George Russell, who's also struggling to make his tires go all the way to the end.
00:30:09So the two drivers on the attack at the moment.
00:30:11Yeah, Hamilton, you keep an eye on him on the left-hand side, as you said, Harry.
00:30:14And obviously Lando Norris as well, as Max Verstappen bolts out of there.
00:30:20DRS over once again from Norris.
00:30:22But if anything, slightly further back this time around,
00:30:25Piastri will obviously be using the overtake button as well in a defensive manner.
00:30:30And here comes Hamilton.
00:30:31Through on Russell already as they get into the braking zone.
00:30:34Is there a Mercedes to his left?
00:30:35No, there isn't.
00:30:36Hamilton lining that one up and picking off his old teammate to get inside the top six.
00:30:42Russell will now have sight all over the back of him and Isaac Hadjar, who were involved in a nice dice.
00:30:47Then Yuki Tsunoda, actually not too far down the road either.
00:30:50That's the top ten.
00:30:50They are your point scorers.
00:30:53Lando Norris, when we just saw a moment ago,
00:30:55I think this is the closest he has been so far since we restarted this race.
00:30:59Less than half a second splitting the two teammates.
00:31:02One who has performed so well this season.
00:31:05The other who has had peaks and troughs,
00:31:08but is trying to keep things consistent and take the charge continually over what is a long season.
00:31:14Twenty four races in the calendar.
00:31:17We're only at round number seven.
00:31:19There is a long way to go here.
00:31:20Both drivers will know that every point matters when we get to the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi.
00:31:27The wind looks like it may well have slipped away.
00:31:29Four seconds now between Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
00:31:33But can Lando Norris find anything down the DRS?
00:31:37With that four tenths of a second advantage it gives you, plus the fresher rubber.
00:31:40Closest he's been.
00:31:41Here we go. Piastri will hug that inside line coming into Tamburello.
00:31:45Norris to the outside.
00:31:47Teammates into turn one.
00:31:49They manage it neat and tidy.
00:31:51Lovely move from Lando Norris.
00:31:53Piastri gave him the run.
00:31:54Piastri then with a good exit.
00:31:56But Lando Norris holding firm and gets himself up into second.
00:32:01So the McLaren boys playing fair and racing hard.
00:32:06Excellent driving from both of them actually.
00:32:08And I have to applaud McLaren as well.
00:32:10Zac Brown there on the pit wall letting them race.
00:32:15And watching it all unfold just behind them though.
00:32:19Lovely battle continuing.
00:32:20Charles Leclerc ahead of Alex Albon.
00:32:23Leclerc, we heard him on the radio.
00:32:24Didn't think he'd be able to make it all the way to the end and is struggling.
00:32:28He's got pressure from Albon behind.
00:32:31Who if he could get fourth position at the close of this Grand Prix
00:32:34would be on for his best result of the season.
00:32:36And what?
00:32:37I was just going to see a replay of this of Norris.
00:32:39Look how far back he came.
00:32:41But that was the closest he had been.
00:32:42That's all he needed.
00:32:43The DRS combination with a bit of slipstream round the outside on the braking zone.
00:32:48And that was close.
00:32:49So close.
00:32:50Piastri a bit of oversteer for good measure.
00:32:52Looked like maybe they even momentarily touched there.
00:32:56Front right wing perhaps.
00:32:58But either way, precision driving from the two McLarens.
00:33:02And as everyone at that team must have had their heart in their mouth for a moment.
00:33:05Here comes Albon though on Leclerc.
00:33:07We're in Imola.
00:33:07Who said you can't overtake?
00:33:09Alex Albon trying round the outside.
00:33:11But Charles Leclerc putting that Ferrari in all the right places.
00:33:16Two pros racing it out.
00:33:17They know how to defend.
00:33:19They know how to attack.
00:33:20And Albon so confident with that Williams machine now.
00:33:24Pushing them forward.
00:33:25Pushing the team forward ahead of a seismic change next year.
00:33:28Looking strong, but still not able to find fourth place yet.
00:33:32What Leclerc really needs in this situation, Harry,
00:33:35is to just chip away at those five tenths to Piastri who's in front of him.
00:33:40But it's going to be difficult because they're on the same age tires, of course.
00:33:43That will relieve him a little bit because he's got the DRS then.
00:33:45If he can just get those five tenths in the bag.
00:33:48And that's what Albon's dearly wishing that his competitor doesn't achieve.
00:33:53Scored in five of the first six races has Alex Albon.
00:34:00Looking to make it six from seven.
00:34:03About 59 of 63.
00:34:05Time running out though for Albon in the Williams.
00:34:09He'll get another shot at it in a few moments time.
00:34:12But while they're doing battle,
00:34:13they're bringing Lewis Hamilton into the equation as well.
00:34:16And he will get a dose of the DRS too.
00:34:19Will Hamilton.
00:34:20The rear wing slot opens.
00:34:22Leclerc under pressure.
00:34:23He doesn't get DRS.
00:34:24Here comes Alex Albon.
00:34:25What does Leclerc do?
00:34:26Moves to the inside.
00:34:28Once again, forcing the car to the outside.
00:34:30But late on the brakes.
00:34:31Is there going to be contact?
00:34:32Oh, so close.
00:34:33Albon has to bail out over the gravel.
00:34:35Rally style keeps it together.
00:34:38Rejoins on the track.
00:34:40But loses out to the second Ferrari as Hamilton goes through.
00:34:44Albon in the blink of an eye.
00:34:46Staring at fourth.
00:34:48Now in sixth.
00:34:49Albon had to do it.
00:34:50He had to do it.
00:34:51It was now or never for him.
00:34:53Because he could see Lewis Hamilton catching up behind on the better tyre as well.
00:34:57So Lewis was always going to be on the attack there.
00:35:00Saw the opportunity.
00:35:01This is what usually happens when a driver tries to go around the outside of Tamburello.
00:35:06Now, is there contact?
00:35:08There would have been though if he hadn't have bailed out.
00:35:11That wasn't fair.
00:35:14I want to see how much of his car was actually alongside before turning.
00:35:18It's a difficult one to see there.
00:35:20Pretty much side by side, wasn't it?
00:35:23Should he be given the room?
00:35:26I'll tell you what, Hamilton did a good job of avoiding him coming back on.
00:35:29The rulebook says you have to have more of your car further ahead if you're the overtaker on the outside.
00:35:36I feel like Leclerc just about had the authority of the corner.
00:35:40It has been noted by race control.
00:35:42But now, with the Williams dispatched, it's Ferrari versus Ferrari.
00:35:47Split strategies though throughout this race.
00:35:49They both started outside the top ten, both into the top ten.
00:35:52Now, Hamilton threw on his teammate.
00:35:55Leclerc didn't make that as difficult for the Williams and for the Ferrari teammate as he did for his Williams rival.
00:36:01Hamilton up to fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth.
00:36:03And already though, Albon recovering from that off right on to the tail of Charles Leclerc once more.
00:36:10Bit of dust kicked up. I don't know from who on the exit of the Villeneuve chicane there.
00:36:14Was it Piastri?
00:36:16Albon getting racy again now that Hamilton's passed both of them.
00:36:19He's on the back of Leclerc once more.
00:36:23So Hamilton up to fourth, then comes Charles Leclerc.
00:36:25This battle going all the way to the chequered flag.
00:36:28Verstappen's moving out in front.
00:36:31He's over six seconds clear of Lando Norris.
00:36:33Piastri wants his teammate got through and him has fallen back now by over four and a half seconds.
00:36:38Hamilton now inside that top four.
00:36:41This is the battle for fifth place on lap 61 of 63.
00:36:47Alex Albon downhill into the first of the Revazzas.
00:36:51We'll get that dose of DRS.
00:36:53The letterbox on the rear wing will open at the press of a button.
00:36:56When you get to the DRS line, you might get a beep in his ear and it opens.
00:37:00It gives you a fourth tenth of a second advantage over the car in front,
00:37:04especially when Leclerc will not have DRS.
00:37:06Strong straight line speed from Albon.
00:37:09Will he move right or left?
00:37:10It's right, it's to the outside, cuts back in.
00:37:13Will he force Leclerc deep and get better traction out on exit?
00:37:17Albon out of Tamburello, has a little moment on the steering wheel.
00:37:20Leclerc still ahead, but by a whisker, Albon has to bail out through the Villeneuve chicane.
00:37:25I think Albon just about ran out of electrical energy there.
00:37:29He had pressed the overtake button, of course, but for a long time
00:37:33on the main straight, not much he can do here.
00:37:36Leclerc really struggling, though, through the Toza hairpin.
00:37:39Albon getting more and more frustrated as he runs out of time.
00:37:43Both cars sliding out of the Toza hairpin.
00:37:45Sides, by the way, less than a second behind Russell,
00:37:47also bringing Isaac Hajar along with him, too.
00:37:50Meanwhile, Alonso is actually not too far away from Yuki Tsunoda
00:37:53and perhaps stealing a point for the first time this season
00:37:56on the penultimate lap of this race.
00:37:59Here we go. So, Albon needs the best two corners of his life
00:38:04coming up here, down towards the Ravazza as we come.
00:38:07You've got to be late on the brakes.
00:38:08You've got the turbulence working against you.
00:38:11And tuck the car into the inside there.
00:38:13The turbulence there, you see the understeer coming in,
00:38:15but I don't think we're going to get the fight
00:38:17because Leclerc and Albon, that investigation has come to a...
00:38:22It's under investigation, as you can see, for forcing a driver off the track.
00:38:25Leclerc told to give back the position. Is he going to do it?
00:38:29He's got him anywhere, I think.
00:38:30Albon on the inside. Albon thinking he's making the racing move through Tamburello,
00:38:34but Leclerc then letting Albon through,
00:38:36racing but also wary of a penalty maybe coming his way.
00:38:40That now should not stand, but he is under investigation still.
00:38:47That's how racing is now. When you come first, you need to let pass.
00:38:50This is a f***ing joke. Why did I do wrong?
00:38:55I think Charles Leclerc makes his thoughts pretty clear on that.
00:38:57As the rulebook said and how I saw it at the time,
00:38:59I'll give it another look, of course, on the Skypad afterwards,
00:39:02but from knowing the rules, like Leclerc will,
00:39:06the drivers and the stewards have come up with this rulebook
00:39:09and you have to have a significant part of your car further alongside on the outside
00:39:14if you're making the overtaking move for it to be your corner.
00:39:19Well, but for Max Verstappen, who sees the chequered flag in sight.
00:39:23What a race for the Dutchman, who makes it four wins in a row in Imola.
00:39:28Lando Norris crosses the line in second, chasing down his rival,
00:39:35but in the end, six seconds adrift and Oscar Piastri having started on pole,
00:39:40the race not going his way, having to work hard at it,
00:39:43manages to come home with a podium and extends his championship lead.
00:39:48Lewis Hamilton with a brilliant result up inside the top four,
00:39:52having qualified outside Albon.
00:39:56Top five finish, back-to-back races.
00:39:58Charles Leclerc has to settle for sixth in what will be a disappointing day for the Monegasque,
00:40:04but for Red Bull, Anthony, on the anniversary of 400 races,
00:40:10a superb drive from the reigning champion.
00:40:12It really was, and it was one in the first quarter,
00:40:15well, the second quarter, technically, at that Tamburello chicane.
00:40:18Amazing on the brakes. We didn't think...
00:40:21Here we go for the radio.
00:40:22Good afternoon, Max.
00:40:24Nice job, mate. Nice job.
00:40:26Wow, Max. 400 races, and you won it.
00:40:30Brilliant. Brilliant drive. Brilliant weekend. Well done, mate.
00:40:32You really, really dominated that race.
00:40:35Yeah, exactly that. Brilliant weekend.
00:40:37That was a fantastic execution all around.
00:40:41Thank you very much, and yeah, not bad on our 400th race.
00:40:47Well done, everyone.
00:40:48That was a very strong Saturday and Sunday, so well deserved that. Great job.
00:40:55Coming into Imola once again, turned their car around completely from the Friday to the Saturday,
00:41:01focused more towards the race.
00:41:02Of course, the race pace of that car today was extreme.
00:41:06Not, I'd say, any better than the McLaren.
00:41:09Lando was able to continue catching at one point in the race,
00:41:12but chipping away tenth by tenth.
00:41:15But it's not what we were led to believe after Friday afternoon.
00:41:18That's for sure, Harry.
00:41:19But was it all at the start for Max Verstappen today?
00:41:22Not all at the start, but that's obviously where he got into the leader race and was never headed.
00:41:27Still, the more I look at it, I can't wait to see it again,
00:41:30because the precision of that was epic.
00:41:33Thank you, mate.
00:41:35Yeah, well done. Good race.
00:41:37Clearly just not the pace we were in today, so let's keep pushing, guys.
00:41:41I know it's been a lovely start, but not quick enough to win today.
00:41:46So let's keep it up, keep working hard.
00:41:50Thank you very much.
00:41:52My pleasure, mate. Long, long way to go.
00:41:54Just have fun doing it, all right?
00:41:57Well, it's a carbon copy finish of last year,
00:41:59but a very different way of getting there for Lando Norris,
00:42:03who I think can take a lot of momentum from this race.
00:42:06He really had to fight hard.
00:42:07The strategy came to him with the safety car elements, too.
00:42:11But at the end of the day, he had to make the moves count when they mattered.
00:42:13I think they did have the race pace today to win.
00:42:15I think they did. And I think when they look back at this,
00:42:18they'll realize that, like you said, Harry,
00:42:20that how lucky, in a way, Verstappen kept being in the safety car
00:42:24and the virtual safety car situation.
00:42:26So...
00:42:30For the Sepulsi, that also there.
00:42:35I was just going to say, another winner from all of the safety cars
00:42:40and yellow flags, virtual safety cars, was Lewis Hamilton.
00:42:42He drove brilliantly as well.
00:42:44Had the speed when he needed to,
00:42:46made the overtakes when he needed to,
00:42:47and a really well-deserved fourth place.
00:42:50His best finish for Ferrari in a Grand Prix.
00:42:54And that will mean a lot to the Sepulsi after heartbreak yesterday
00:42:58in qualifying for them.
00:43:00But pulling up in that P1 position,
00:43:03he always has a habit of finding himself back there, doesn't he?
00:43:06Max Verstappen in a brilliant move in lap one, turn one.
00:43:11The strategy, yes, coming his way.
00:43:13Luck playing its part, but you make your own luck as well.
00:43:16And Red Bull as a team showing why they are always so good.
00:43:21And Max Verstappen reminding the world,
00:43:24particularly the two cars to either side of him,
00:43:27are not done with this championship.
00:43:30We could get a...
00:43:31I wonder if we might get a 2012-style championship.
00:43:34Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari on that occasion
00:43:36didn't always have the quickest car available,
00:43:38but kept it going to the very end.
00:43:40Max Verstappen, though, you can be sure,
00:43:42whatever car he has underneath him,
00:43:43he will extract the absolute maximum possible.
00:43:48Celebrating with the team,
00:43:49Red Bull actually got two cars in the points.
00:43:52Tsunoda from the pit lane to the top ten.
00:43:55So he gets a point for that.
00:43:58So decent drive from the Japanese driver
00:44:00after a really tough qualifying session yesterday
00:44:02with that huge crash.
00:44:03The best you could have ever hoped for, wasn't it?
00:44:05For Yuki Tsunoda to get into the points.
00:44:07So a top day all round for Red Bull.
00:44:10Orlando Norris a bit dejected there.
00:44:13I sense the body language,
00:44:14but I think he drove really well today.
00:44:17The overtaking moves that he made,
00:44:19not just on his own teammate, but others as well.
00:44:22It was a well-earned second place today for Norris.
00:44:25Closes in on teammate Piastri in the standings,
00:44:29but still in a season calendar
00:44:32that is, well, the longest in history.
00:44:37We still have a long way to go.
00:44:38It's the beginning of a European triple header.
00:44:40There's no time to waste.
00:44:41We'll be straight out to Monaco next week,
00:44:44then Spain after that too.
00:44:47So it is an intense period of racing for our 20 drivers.
00:44:52Good results too for Alex Albon.
00:44:54Carlos Sainz-Williams getting another double points finished.
00:44:58Oscar Piastri, I think.
00:44:59How will he feel after that race?
00:45:01Frustrated or generally satisfied?
00:45:04I think he'll be kicking himself a bit for turn one,
00:45:08turn two, three into Tamburello.
00:45:10When he looks that back, I'm sure he'll be thinking,
00:45:13I could have braked later.
00:45:15I could have got my elbows out a little bit more.
00:45:17You have to be on your absolute A game
00:45:21when you've got this guy we're staring out on screen,
00:45:23bearing down on you towards those first couple of corners.
00:45:26You know he's going to go for it.
00:45:30Well, we'll get to hear what they have to say, our top three.
00:45:34And they're speaking to David Coulthard.
00:45:35Oscar, it was a brilliant Saturday.
00:45:37Not such a strong Sunday.
00:45:39You got to take it right at the beginning.
00:45:41It looked like you had the corner.
00:45:42And in the end, Max swept around the outside.
00:45:46Yeah, just braked too early.
00:45:48And yeah, I mean, it was a good move by Max as well.
00:45:51So disappointing, obviously.
00:45:53But I think we made a few wrong calls after that anyways.
00:45:57And yeah, not our best Sunday.
00:46:00So definitely a lot of things to look at and review from that one.
00:46:04But yeah, well done to Max and Red Bull.
00:46:06I think it was a good move.
00:46:08But also they had pace today.
00:46:09So yeah, we'll look back at that one
00:46:13and see what we can do a bit better.
00:46:14The rest of the race was obviously decided by first,
00:46:17virtual safety car, the luck of the draw when you make your stop,
00:46:20and then the full course safety car put us
00:46:23in the cockpit for those particular events and restarts.
00:46:26Yeah, it was tricky.
00:46:29Yeah, obviously the VSC was perfectly
00:46:32timed for Max and Lando.
00:46:34And then I'd obviously used both my tires at that point,
00:46:37so both my hard tires.
00:46:38So made the last restart pretty tricky.
00:46:41And I tried my best to hang on to second.
00:46:43But yeah, just had nowhere near enough grip.
00:46:45So there it is.
00:46:47Just on that overtake from your teammates,
00:46:50always difficult when two cars are going
00:46:52into a nip tight apex, just enough room for them there.
00:46:56But when you're on those older tires,
00:46:58it was pretty close with your front axle.
00:47:00Yeah, it was tricky.
00:47:01Yeah, tried my best to hang on.
00:47:03But yeah, just didn't have the grip.
00:47:05And yeah, I tried my best.
00:47:08And it was inevitable, I think, that I was going to get past.
00:47:10But I wasn't going to give up without a fight.
00:47:12Yeah, well, congratulations.
00:47:13Still the podium.
00:47:14Thank you very much.
00:47:30OK, we have our second place finisher here, Lando Norris.
00:47:34Well, it was an interesting Grand Prix.
00:47:37You started fourth, so that looked
00:47:39like it was going to make it a long afternoon for you.
00:47:41But as the race went on, it came to you.
00:47:43And we saw that brilliant battle in the end
00:47:45with your teammate.
00:47:46Yeah, it was a long race from that perspective.
00:47:51Not easy to overtake, but we did what we could.
00:47:53I think Max drove a good race.
00:47:56They were quick today and probably a bit quicker.
00:47:58You know, we couldn't keep up.
00:47:59And we had a good little battle at the end
00:48:01between Oscar and myself, which is always tense,
00:48:04but always good fun.
00:48:06But a good race.
00:48:06You know, from us as a team, second and third is great.
00:48:09Of course, we would love to be up there fighting against Max.
00:48:11But they were too good for us today.
00:48:13We saw some great wheel-to-wheel action
00:48:15with you having to go around the outside
00:48:17at the second chicane of the Mercedes.
00:48:19Just explain to us, when you commit
00:48:21on those sort of overtakes, you're
00:48:22putting a lot of trust in the guy on the inside.
00:48:25Yeah.
00:48:27I mean, it's with George, and I could
00:48:29tell his tires were struggling.
00:48:30He was struggling with the tires a lot.
00:48:33So it's just a situation you've got to take advantage of.
00:48:36I mean, it's always risky.
00:48:38You never want to take too much risk.
00:48:39But we're also racing, and he's a fair racer.
00:48:42He's a good racer.
00:48:43So some good moves today.
00:48:45Well, congratulations on that result.
00:48:46And by the way, you smell spectacular.
00:48:48I don't know what McLaren cologne you have.
00:48:52As we come to our victor, well, Max, when the lights went out,
00:48:58it looked like you were staring down
00:49:00the barrel of coming out of the first corner in third place.
00:49:03You had, with Oscar who had made the very good start,
00:49:08we had George right up his gearbox.
00:49:10But somehow, you had the commitment
00:49:13to go around the outside, relive that moment.
00:49:15Yeah, the start itself wasn't particularly great.
00:49:18But then I was still on the outside line,
00:49:20or basically the normal line.
00:49:22And I was like, well, I'm just going
00:49:24to try and send around the outside.
00:49:26And it worked really well.
00:49:27That, of course, then unleashed our pace.
00:49:29Because once we're in the lead, yeah, the car was good.
00:49:32I could look after my tires.
00:49:34And we had a very good pace on it today.
00:49:37So again, massive improvement from Friday.
00:49:39And I'm very, very pleased with that.
00:49:41Then, yeah, that VSC was quite handy to pit.
00:49:45And even then, even on the hard compound,
00:49:47I think our pace was very strong.
00:49:48But then, of course, there was the safety car.
00:49:50So the field was all back together.
00:49:52But even then on the restart, I think
00:49:54we managed it all really well.
00:49:55And yeah, brought it home.
00:49:58Yeah, incredibly proud of everyone.
00:50:00It's been a very important week for us.
00:50:03The cars performed really well.
00:50:05And also, I think the whole execution of the whole race.
00:50:08You know, went to pit, the pit stops themselves,
00:50:11they were all very good.
00:50:13So it's the 400 Grand Prix for the team.
00:50:15Your 65th victory, which congratulations,
00:50:19that's an incredible statistic.
00:50:21We're into this triple header here.
00:50:23Well, you started it with also doing a bit of running
00:50:26last weekend as well.
00:50:27It seems that you just want to be on track at all times.
00:50:30Yeah.
00:50:32I mean, I like driving.
00:50:33I like, of course, racing in Formula 1.
00:50:34I like racing any kind of car.
00:50:36And of course, next week, completely different kind
00:50:39of track in Monaco.
00:50:40You know, that's also going to be very challenging.
00:50:42But for the moment, I just want to enjoy today
00:50:45and really take it in.
00:50:46Well, we do want you to do that.
00:50:48But maybe just a quick word to the fans here at this Grand
00:50:51Prix.
00:50:52It's a historic racetrack, one that gave us a great Grand
00:50:54Prix.
00:50:55Yeah.
00:50:55I mean, it's always fantastic to be in Italy.
00:50:57Proper passion for motorsports.
00:50:59So yeah, it's fantastic to see all these fans out
00:51:02here the whole weekend.
00:51:04So yeah, thank you very much for coming and supporting
00:51:06all the drivers.
00:51:07Max, congratulations.
00:51:08Enjoy the podium.
00:51:11Your top three, speaking to David Coulthard there.
00:51:14And this was Max Verstappen taking the chequered flag,
00:51:18four wins in a row in Imola.
00:51:20A circuit record for the Dutchman.
00:51:24First win as well for Franz Hermann,
00:51:26doing rather well on debut in Formula 1 too.
00:51:28But for the Red Bull team, on the anniversary of 400 races,
00:51:34the reigning champion stands tall.
00:51:36And what was that?
00:51:38I know there's a lot of chat about old school races
00:51:41like this, but it delivered.
00:51:44It really did deliver today.
00:51:46And I'm really pleased that Pirelli brought the softer
00:51:48range of tires as well, because I
00:51:50think that opened up some strategic differences
00:51:52and opportunities today.
00:51:53So well done to them.
00:51:55Here we go into the cool down room.
00:51:56Oscar Piastri just on his own for the time being,
00:51:59having to endure watching the start.
00:52:02And let's see what his reaction is.
00:52:04Verstappen joins him.
00:52:10No words exchanged from the two.
00:52:12I think a few things being said that we.
00:52:43What a difference.
00:52:45So the tarmac's so weird.
00:52:47I need to turn seven.
00:52:48One lap.
00:52:50Oh.
00:52:50Oh.
00:52:52The eye race.
00:52:54No, no, no.
00:52:57I dipped a wheel on the grass.
00:53:00Dipped a wheel on the grass.
00:53:01And then what, Lando?
00:53:02So I've gone so deep.
00:53:04Oh, my god.
00:53:04I'm going off.
00:53:05Squared it off.
00:53:06Came out of me.
00:53:06Best corner I've done.
00:53:08Because there was more grip on that area.
00:53:10There was more grip out in the dirt.
00:53:13That's crazy.
00:53:15I mean, I didn't explore that.
00:53:16I tried to do it.
00:53:17And then I just went.
00:53:28Oh, my god.
00:53:29That's a floor run.
00:53:33Lewis Fox, can you go with something like that?
00:53:35If Alex hadn't got Charles there, he would have.
00:53:38Really?
00:53:41No.
00:53:42I was going so fast.
00:53:45I know.
00:53:45I was like, oh, he's going to try to keep it.
00:53:48Well, all three eventually having
00:53:51a chat about the race that unfolded over 63 laps.
00:53:55And clearly a few hairy moments for all three of them
00:53:57throughout it.
00:53:59It's always nice watching the drivers watch the race back.
00:54:02And it's amazing actually how much
00:54:03they take in from watching the big screens as well
00:54:06as they're driving flat out around the circuit.
00:54:08So many of those moments they would have seen,
00:54:10but obviously not had the opportunity
00:54:12to talk it through one another.
00:54:16Well, the track invasion has begun.
00:54:19It's a Fossey out in force, but some glints of papaya
00:54:24as well thrown in there as we await for the podium ceremony
00:54:28to get underway.
00:54:33And it really was worth, as you say,
00:54:36just a good idea for Pirelli to bring actually
00:54:39those softer step of compounds.
00:54:41It bodes well, perhaps, for the next few races
00:54:44that we're going to see.
00:54:45Of course, Pirelli will be analyzing all the data that
00:54:50went on throughout this and seeing
00:54:51how that can be adapted going forward into this season.
00:54:54I think the biggest question mark I have and maybe
00:54:56is something that Piaggio is leading to in terms of strategy
00:55:02pitting Oscar so early in the race
00:55:04when others clearly were able to make
00:55:06that tire last much longer.
00:55:08And Lando Norris was one of the drivers
00:55:11that benefited from that move of Piaggio coming in so early
00:55:14and then getting stuck behind the traffic.
00:55:15I think that's what he was alluding to, Oscar,
00:55:18when he was asked about the strategy of the race.
00:55:21Well, the two McLaren drivers then, Piaggio in third,
00:55:25Lando Norris closing the gap to his teammate
00:55:29in the championship standings.
00:55:31Just slightly in second, but it's
00:55:32Max Verstappen who has won the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
00:56:01["POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
00:56:31["POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
00:57:01["POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
00:57:31["POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
00:57:34["POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
00:57:37["POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
00:57:39The Dutch and Austrian national anthems
00:57:42raining out for your winning driver, Max Verstappen,
00:57:46and the winning team, Red Bull, as the first place trophy
00:57:51is presented to Max Verstappen, who takes
00:57:54his second win of the season.
00:57:57He's in.
00:57:59And you can see what it means to the team
00:58:02there as well, as he's presented by the president of the FIA,
00:58:06Mohamed Ben Saleh, with the medal.
00:58:09Handshakes all around, too, for our top three.
00:58:14It sets us up rather nicely, then,
00:58:16for this triple header in Europe that we now
00:58:19get deep into with Monaco straight up.
00:58:23The winning constructor's trophy
00:58:26accepted by Red Bull's head of aerodynamics, Enrico Balbo.
00:58:30Congratulations.
00:58:33Helmut Marco smiling away at his number one star driver.
00:58:38Still searching for who could be that long-term prospect
00:58:42in the number two seat.
00:58:44On the number two step of the podium,
00:58:46Lando Norris, with a hard-fought drive.
00:58:50Maybe left slightly disappointed.
00:58:53But overall, crucial points gathered
00:58:56in what will be a long championship fight
00:58:59to the very end of this season.
00:59:03And Oscar Piastri in third.
00:59:07Was it all lost at the start for Piastri?
00:59:09Mix of strategies, too, not playing out for him.
00:59:12But the top three celebrate as the champagne gets poured.
00:59:18And Max Verstappen absolutely soaking Enrico
00:59:23Balbo on the podium there.
00:59:24Smiles all around.
00:59:25I think they will look back at this.
00:59:27And we will all look back at this
00:59:29and go, well, Imola delivered.
00:59:30It might be the final race.
00:59:34But Max Verstappen once again on top
00:59:39at the end of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.