00:01The checkered flag is next to Hülkenberg's name, he will have no effort and once again he'll be plum last.
00:09Shocker from Haast, absolute shocker. They've left him in the lurch and he needed to be popping in a Verstappen
00:14time on an outlap to be getting through.
00:15He obviously went round pretty quickly to get that close.
00:18Alex Albon, rapid in that first sector as you climb the hill looking for an improvement.
00:22Oh, look how much improvement there is out there. Albon to P2.
00:25Joe's in trouble as well. Both Alfa Romeos could be left in the lurch here. They're currently safe but Tsunoda
00:30jumps to 11th. Bottas creeping down, Joe's on the brink.
00:34Who are we going to lose here? Magnussen has one flying lap to go. Alonso moves up to second position.
00:39There are opportunities out there. Norris down in the drop zone as well.
00:42Tsunoda's time may well not be good enough from 12th because there's loads of improvements still to come.
00:47Here we go with Esteban Ocon out of the final corner, driving it straight towards the line and minimise the
00:51distance. He goes up to 8th.
00:53It's good enough for him. What about Lando Norris? Directly behind the British driver looking to force his way through
00:58its 12th position.
00:59It's an improvement. It's just but there's no form for Norris compared to before.
01:03Now here's Lance Stroll. He gets to 13th. Gasly into the drop zone, gets a chance to respond and does
01:08so up to P10.
01:09Yuki Tsunoda into the drop zone. Magnussen is 18th. Bottas in 17th. Joe comes over the line in 19th.
01:17And Hülkenberg didn't even get a go. Frantic stuff once again.
01:22Wow. I think that's it, no?
01:24Yeah, unfortunately that's it.
01:26Very interesting execution there.
01:28Yep, sorry Nico. We got it wrong.
01:31Russell escaping by a tenth of a second, but it was very, very tight. All about those final runs.
01:39Oh, that's too early.
01:41Okay Lance, we've committed to this. We've got to go.
01:44So that's Stroll's message on the radio. He doesn't believe he can fire up the temperature into its operating window.
01:49It would give you better grip if you could fire it up, but he doesn't think he can.
01:54Spray coming off the back, but look, you'll find a bit of dry line when he gets down to LACOM.
01:58And then it's a little bit slippery through these apexes. Try and lean on it when there's a dryer patch.
02:03I don't know if it's going to be enough for Lance Stroll.
02:06It gets better. As you go down the hill, it gets better.
02:08It really pinches in the dry line, the non-existent dry line at LACOM.
02:11And also here at Ravage, there's nothing to play with.
02:14But in the traction zones, that's when the water has been cleared.
02:17He's tiptoeing round and he's into the wall.
02:20And to end the session, Lance Stroll took the gamble.
02:24Lance Stroll's gamble ends in the barriers at turn nine.
02:27And it means that the red flag is out with not enough time to restart the session.
02:32So out goes Stroll, along with Alonso, who was on an outlap, along with Albon, Sargent and Daniel Ricciardo,
02:39who will not get an opportunity to improve at the end.
02:42And that was always going to be the risk if you went on medium tyres.
02:46That was always going to be the risk if you left just one lap.
02:52Sometimes you gamble and you look like a genius.
02:55Sometimes you gamble and it's just a smidge too early.
03:00Here's Leclerc then into the bus stop.
03:02Right, left, might be a little bit slippery here until you find the dryer patch on the exit.
03:07Didn't look too bad.
03:08Good lap when you've gone across the line first of all, when you're feeling out the grip.
03:131.52.5 for him.
03:15His teammate is next.
03:16Driver who started at the front here in the past.
03:18He goes over the line and Sainz is way off.
03:21Sainz will push again surely after that.
03:24Norris, rapid in the middle part of the lap.
03:25Let's see what the driver can do.
03:27Can he go ahead of the Ferraris?
03:28He can!
03:28That's a super time straight out of the box.
03:31Verstappen is only marginally up on Lando Norris to give you an idea of how good it is.
03:35And can Hamilton maintain the pace all the way to the line?
03:40He was so committed through that first sector.
03:43Lewis Hamilton to the line.
03:45Lewis Hamilton to the front of the field.
03:47Great time and it's over to Max Verstappen next.
03:50Verstappen finding a bit of time.
03:52He was strong in the final sector yesterday.
03:54And he's looking strong again right now.
03:57Out of the final corner.
03:58Can he go top?
03:59No, he goes second.
04:00Second fastest for Verstappen.
04:03Game on in sprint shootout qualifying.
04:07Now pick up the pace, Max.
04:09We don't have much margin.
04:10You need to pick up the pace.
04:11Perez is pushing.
04:12He was going rapidly there.
04:15This is different programs meeting in the middle.
04:17The others backed off.
04:18Perez carried on.
04:19It's still good enough.
04:20It's still good enough with the track drying out.
04:22And Perez had to find his way through.
04:24Others now attacking at the end of the shootout.
04:27Checo is still pushing though.
04:28And he's starting it right behind Charles Leclerc.
04:30Here comes Verstappen.
04:31He's going to make it.
04:32He's going to do it.
04:33By a couple of seconds.
04:34They told him to get on with it.
04:36And that's the reason why.
04:37Perez is top of the sprint shootout at the moment.
04:40These are the final laps to set the grid for the 15 lap sprint later on.
04:44This is all on the line.
04:45All 10 drivers currently in contention.
04:48Pierre Gasly is projected to go quicker than Perez's fastest time.
04:52So they're all in the mix now.
04:54One mistake for a driver ahead could affect those behind.
04:57Charles Leclerc is the fastest driver through the first sector.
05:00But that's what we were talking about.
05:01If he found the wall there, he would have affected everyone's lap behind.
05:04And it could have been advantage Gasly.
05:06And Gasly is set to go top of the times right now.
05:09Leclerc had a big slide and Perez is just behind him remember.
05:12And that might now bolt Checo for the second half of the lap.
05:16Four drivers are currently up on the fastest time set by Perez at various stages of the lap.
05:22It's now five drivers.
05:23It's all in the mix.
05:24But Gasly's gone first.
05:25He's done multiple laps.
05:27The chequered flag flies.
05:28Gasly, who's never been at the front in qualifying before, is six tenths of a second ahead.
05:33Everyone must respond.
05:34Norris does the fastest middle sector.
05:36Now Piastri does the fastest middle sector.
05:37That's a monster middle sector from Oscar Piastri.
05:40He is 1.7 seconds quicker than Lewis Hamilton there.
05:43It's huge.
05:44Verstappen is up on Gasly's time, but there are others going rapidly as well.
05:48Charles Leclerc looking to try and compete with Pierre Gasly.
05:51Carlos signs to the front of the field.
05:53That's the first Ferrari.
05:55Here's the second one.
05:56Can Leclerc do it?
05:57No, he can't.
05:57And it's all eyes to McLaren.
05:59Norris is third.
06:00But what about Oscar Piastri?
06:02Who's just in his 12th Grand Prix weekend.
06:05Piastri to the front of the field with a superb time.
06:09Over to you, Max Verstappen.
06:11Oh, he's got him.
06:12He's got him.
06:13By 11 thousandths of a second.
06:16Absolutely extraordinary.
06:18As Verstappen brings the crowd to their feet.
06:21Yesterday, eight tenths of a second.
06:24Today, 11 thousandths of a second.
06:26It will be Verstappen and Piastri on the front row of the grid
06:31for the sprint.
06:33That was incredible.
06:34The top three separated by two hundredths of a second.
06:39P2 is mega, mate.
06:41But you'll be frustrated to know that Verstappen is only 11 milliseconds ahead.
06:47There wasn't much left in that lap.
06:49Probably 11 milliseconds.
06:50But yeah, well done everyone.
06:53Cheers for that.
06:55The man's a heartbreaker, isn't he?
06:57Max Verstappen.
06:58Wow.
06:59Unbelievably tight.
07:00Verstappen takes it again then by 11 thousandths.
07:05unlock us.
07:07Hundreds.
07:08Hooray the freedom up the road to the taps.
07:08Mu' zitten.
07:09Good
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