00:01In the drop zone at the moment is Tsunoda Magnusson, Daniel Ricciardo returning to Formula One, Joe Guanyu and this
00:07man who goes up to 14th to drop down Fernando Alonso into the bottom five.
00:13Alonso who has made Q3 at every single Grand Prix so far this year. Lando Norris goes into second position.
00:21That is going to be HĂŒlkenberg over the line.
00:22We're waiting for the Alfa Romeo of Joe Guanyu who is currently in 20th. That's a great lap when it
00:27counts for Joe Guanyu to go up to sixth position.
00:31Sargent now on the brink of being eliminated. Can Daniel Ricciardo, who adores this place, return to Formula One and
00:38get through into the next part of qualifying?
00:40Here comes the answer. Tenth fastest for Ricciardo to knock out Logan Sargent. Magnusson up to sixth again.
00:47Piastri is in the drop zone as it stands, but he's on for an improvement in lap time. He's going
00:53to be late over the line here.
00:55Alonso is also on for a personal best. This picture could yet change. Tsunoda with a superb time to go
01:01up to fifth position now.
01:03It's Ocon, Stroll, Piastri Sargent and Alonso. We know Sargent has gone. Oscar Piastri gets up to tenth position, fights
01:10her way through.
01:11So now we focus on the Alpine of Ocon and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. Here comes the blue
01:17Alpine of Ocon who goes up to twelfth position and HĂŒlkenberg is going out as well.
01:23It's a disappointment for HĂŒlkenberg who has been so quick with the old spec car. Alonso falls at the first
01:29hurdle.
01:30Fernando Alonso, who has made Q3 of every Grand Prix so far this year, is only 17th and he is
01:39out in the first part of qualifying.
01:41That is an almighty shock. If you look at the rest of the season, HĂŒlkenberg as well, along with Albon
01:47and Stroll.
01:49Sargent in 20th, but what a difficult session for Aston Martin.
01:56We are once again at that moment where you must find a faster lap time or you are very likely
02:02to get knocked out trying to extract all of the speed.
02:05Across the line is Joe Guarniou. Daniel Ricciardo has had his lap time deleted for track limits at turn number
02:11nine.
02:12The driver at risk at the moment is George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, both of whom are in the drop
02:16zone.
02:17Yuki Tsunoda has only made Q3 on one occasion since the Monaco Grand Prix.
02:23That ninth place gives him a chance at the moment. Bottas goes over the line. It's only 13th for him.
02:29Hamilton looks a threat today. He looks like he's in the mix. He's got the fastest first sector of anyone.
02:33That is the precarious turn 19 that he has negotiated well.
02:37And now he brings it to the last corner on the racetrack, chasing it through that final corner.
02:42Hamilton goes over the line. Third will see him through. The checkered flag is waving.
02:46At the moment, Tsunoda has booked his place in by one thousandth of a second, but there are still drivers
02:51behind improving.
02:52Russell and Ocon trying to move on. Russell gets to ninth position.
02:57And now Sergio Perez is looking over his shoulder at what Esteban Ocon can do.
03:02Ocon, who is at turn 19, will appear in your picture in a few moments' time.
03:06Ocon will go over the line. Here he is. Can he knock out?
03:10No, he goes up to fifth position. So Ocon really happy with the handling of that LP.
03:15Alpine, Alpine in fifth and seventh. And Sergio Perez is able to go through into the next part of qualifying
03:24by eighteen thousandths of a second.
03:26And Tsunoda out, Joe out, along with Bottas, Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo, who had his time deleted.
03:37The sun ever lower in the sky in the driver's eye line. That is right to the brink.
03:42And the final corner of the racetrack. Time to beat 1.35-0 for Max Verstappen.
03:48And we go to contender number two, Charles Leclerc, who is faster in the middle sector.
03:53Yeah, reasonable chunk as well in that middle sector.
03:56So it'll all come down to how he's played out the final part of the lap and across the line.
04:00It's enough right now.
04:01It's enough. By two and a half tenths of a second, Charles Leclerc goes to provisional pole position.
04:07Lando Norris across the line and into P3.
04:10We've yet to see the push laps from those contenders behind, including Lewis Hamilton.
04:16Here's the man who was on pole position at this circuit one year ago.
04:19The man from Madrid, Carlos Sainz, behind his teammate and into P3.
04:23Here's Oscar Piastri, the Australian driver, the star of Qatar.
04:28Last time out, behind his teammate.
04:31He's been ahead of Lando Norris in four of the last six sessions.
04:35But he's behind Lando Norris after the first run in Q3.
04:41And Hamilton is going very well in the middle part of the lap as we focus on George Russell.
04:47Esteban Ocon has gone into sixth position.
04:49PĂ©rez is setting a time on the board and Hamilton is up on Charles Leclerc.
04:54So this is going to be a real lap of contention.
04:57We'll follow one Mercedes over the line.
04:59That's a great lap time from Pierre Gasly.
05:01He's gone P4.
05:03Where can Russell go?
05:04He goes behind the Alpine.
05:06And now Hamilton has two corners to go.
05:09Can he put himself into position?
05:11First of all, Sergio PĂ©rez goes into P5.
05:14And Lewis Hamilton now looking to try and take provisional pole position.
05:18Looking to take it up through the gears to the line.
05:21His teammates had his time deleted.
05:22It's not enough in the final sector.
05:25And it's Charles Leclerc who heads the field after run one.
05:29What a battle for pole position we are seeing here.
05:33Well done.
05:33Well done there.
05:35What the f*** was that in the last corner?
05:38There you go.
05:39They weren't pushing at the same time.
05:41That is Checo.
05:42Sergio PĂ©rez starting his push lap.
05:45The man on provisional pole looking for the real thing.
05:48Charles Leclerc takes it further up the road.
05:51It's a 1.34.7.
05:53Can Hamilton, Verstappen or his teammate find a response?
05:56Lando Norris goes to the front row.
05:59Lando Norris finds a time that got him close.
06:02And so that is a great effort to take the step forward when it matters.
06:06What about the world champion though?
06:07Clinging on to track limits through turn 19.
06:10Sainz went over the line in fourth.
06:12Can Max Verstappen find his way to the front row?
06:14Can he find his way to pole position?
06:16He can!
06:17By five thousandths of a second.
06:19He clawed it back with a mighty final sector.
06:23It is Verstappen ahead of Charles Leclerc on the front row at the moment.
06:26Ocon is trying to fort himself through.
06:30Verstappen's time is deleted for track limits at turn 19.
06:34We said he was hanging on to it.
06:35Verstappen will fall down to fifth.
06:37Charles Leclerc back in position to take pole.
06:40And Hamilton has had an ordinary middle sector of the lap.
06:45Hamilton is on at the moment to improve.
06:49But it might not be for pole.
06:50At the moment it's Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
06:53Sergio Perez is up to eighth.
06:55This is the final corner at the end of the runs in qualifying for the US Grand Prix.
07:00Hamilton to the line.
07:01He can't do it.
07:02He can't do it.
07:03He stays in third.
07:04And George Russell, can he aid the Mercedes team now and fling the car forward?
07:10Up to fifth he goes.
07:12Charles Leclerc kept it within the white lines.
07:22Charles Leclerc at the front of the field for the third time this season.
07:26Lando Norris will join him on the front row for the third time this season.
07:30And then Lewis Hamilton signs him fourth.
07:32Then Russell, the big story.
07:34Max Verstappen, he will start in P6.
07:36Then it's Gasly ahead of his teammate Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez in ninth.
07:40Ahead of Oscar Piastri in tenth position.
07:43Yuki Tsunoda missed out on Q3 by two hundredths of a second.
07:47It was very close between Tsunoda and Joe on the timing page.
07:50One thousandths of a second.
07:51Between those two, then it was Bottas, Magnussen, Ricciardo, HĂŒlkenberg, Alonso, Alben Stroll and Sargent.
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