00:02This is Max Verstappen, and that incident of potential impeding investigated after.
00:09Well, that's impeding for Joe, who's currently down in 19th,
00:12and he's on his final flying lap at the moment and not improving in the first part.
00:15So Joe's already in trouble, and he's going to be in trouble with the stewards, I think, though.
00:20Gasly in the Alpine goes second.
00:22Ocon, his teammate, goes sixth.
00:24There is so much performance to be had there.
00:26Perez drops down to 14th, now 15th as Hülkenberg leaps up.
00:30Perez is very close to improving up against Piastri.
00:34Big leaps forward here as we go over the line.
00:37Up to eighth position goes Valtteri Bottas.
00:39He's a 10-time Grand Prix winner previously in his career.
00:42Can Perez, now in the drop zone, find an improvement when it matters?
00:47He goes around the final left-hander.
00:49That is turn 19 at the racetrack.
00:51Needs an improvement because he's in the drop zone.
00:53Perez finds a lap time and gets up to P4.
00:57He really needed that one.
00:58Sainz in the bottom five right now, but on an improvement.
01:02Sainz and Tsunoda both finding time from the drop zone, which will leave Hülkenberg and Stroll in trouble.
01:07Norris improves, only goes 11th.
01:09Here's Carlos Sainz.
01:10He's safe.
01:11Hülkenberg is out.
01:12So is Kevin Magnussen.
01:13Yuki Tsunoda finds himself pushing all the way, but it's not enough to get out of the first part of
01:19qualifying.
01:20He knew he was starting at the back anyway, and there's no improvement for Sargent and Joe.
01:24So out goes Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Tsunoda, Sargent and Joe.
01:32Ocon and Gasly both needing a lap time to improve.
01:35And across the line comes Esteban Ocon up to fourth position.
01:38That's a lap time.
01:39When he was under big pressure to deliver it, let's look at what his teammate can do.
01:43He goes up to seventh.
01:44Both Mercedes in the drop zone.
01:46Provisionally, because they're both improving as well.
01:48This is another part of qualifying where you've got to hook it up on the final tour.
01:52The checker flag is out.
01:54George Russell hits the brakes for the final corner at the bus stop.
01:57Once again, making it neatly to the apex.
01:59This has been a much better lap.
02:00And look how quick Hamilton is as well.
02:02When it really matters, Russell over the line to second position.
02:06Hamilton will try and respond.
02:08Also an improvement for Fernando Alonso in the drop zone is Alex Albon.
02:12But everyone in that drop zone is on for a personal best.
02:15It's going to be about the stopwatch.
02:17Over the line, Lando Norris has just gone past the start-finish position.
02:21And he goes into fourth place.
02:23Hamilton currently in the drop zone.
02:24Currently heading out.
02:26Has he delivered a lap around Spa where he's a four-time winner that's good enough?
02:29The answer is yes, he's up to second place.
02:32And now what can we see?
02:33Ricciardo is out in this part of qualifying.
02:36Who's going to join him?
02:37Alonso up to fifth.
02:39Sainz now in the drop zone.
02:40Charles Leclerc pushing on.
02:42Albon finds a time.
02:43Good enough for ninth.
02:44The Ferraris need a reply.
02:46So Gasly is out.
02:47Ricciardo is out.
02:48Stroll's not doing enough either.
02:50Can Carlos Sainz leap up?
02:52And can Charles Leclerc?
02:53Yes, he can.
02:54Charles Leclerc goes to fifth.
02:55And now in the drop zone trying to get out of it.
02:58Carlos Sainz.
02:59Who does it?
02:59And Perez has made it through.
03:02Or has he?
03:02No, we look.
03:03And Bottas can't punish the Red Bull.
03:06Sergio Perez makes it through by three thousandths of a second.
03:09Second, we have our top ten shootout.
03:12Two Red Bulls in it by three thousandths of a second.
03:18Fastest driver through the first part of this racetrack.
03:21Esteban Ocon in the Alpine.
03:23He's been as high as third on the grid here in his previous Formula One career.
03:27He's looking for his best start of the season.
03:30First of all, though, Hamilton across the line.
03:32Time to beat a 1-54-0.
03:34George Russell will be the first to respond.
03:36Let's see what he can do.
03:38And he is behind his teammate by over two-tenths of a second.
03:41Piastri into the bus stop.
03:43He's done the fastest middle sector so far.
03:46Norris has not been quite at it so far in the qualifying hour.
03:50Piastri comes through and goes second.
03:51Only a fraction away from Hamilton.
03:53Norris has been a bit slower through two sectors.
03:55We see Ocon complete a lap.
03:57Not bad for Esteban Ocon in the Alpine.
04:00And then there's Lando trying to scramble to get on the throttle.
04:03Up to fourth position.
04:04Verstappen is mighty in the middle sector.
04:07He's seven-tenths quicker than anybody else there.
04:10In the battle between the two Ferraris, Sainz goes into fifth place.
04:13Charles Leclerc wants to try and out-qualify his teammate for the first time in three races.
04:17Can't do so.
04:18On this first run, he's in sixth position.
04:20And we go on board now with Sergio Perez,
04:23who goes ahead of Hamilton to the front of the field.
04:26Great lap from Sergio Perez.
04:28He's delivered nicely there with the pressure on.
04:31What about the man who's going to take a 10-place drop, though?
04:33What sort of lap is it?
04:35Look at that from Max Verstappen.
04:37The lead car out there by six-tenths of a second.
04:42Leclerc has got a great target to aim at here on a fresh intermediate towards the second half of the
04:48lap.
04:48Sainz is the driver in main shot coming through the middle sector.
04:52He's not on a great lap.
04:53He's already down on more than Verstappen, than everyone ahead of him on the leaderboard.
04:58But Leclerc is going quicker.
05:00And this is a really tidy lap from Charles Leclerc.
05:02Charles Leclerc, when it matters, is in touching distance of the front row.
05:07Can he get ahead of Perez and force Perez to respond if he wants that fourth career pole position?
05:12Because Verstappen might be fastest at the end of the qualifying hour, but he will take a penalty.
05:16First Ferrari over the line is Carlos Sainz.
05:19Where can he go in the classification?
05:21He stays where he is.
05:23Charles Leclerc, much better, much cleaner around this racetrack at this time.
05:28Can he get ahead of Perez?
05:29Yes!
05:30And that would be provisional pole position.
05:32And Perez is not on a good lap.
05:35Perez is not going well on this final tour.
05:37Verstappen's got a chance to improve.
05:39It won't matter.
05:39I don't think anyone will beat him.
05:40But I don't think Perez can improve.
05:42At no stage of this weekend did Charles Leclerc look like being the driver who could pick up the pieces
05:48when Max Verstappen had a 10-place penalty.
05:51And yet the one-lap master has found a way to the front of the field.
05:57Verstappen is going to underline his superiority.
06:00He'll finish top at the end of the qualifying hour with the fastest final sector of anyone.
06:04He just misses out.
06:06But the fastest time at the end of the hour is a 1.53, 1.59.
06:11It looked like Sergio Perez was going to be able to find a reply, but he wasn't able to do
06:17so.
06:18And Charles Leclerc's last gasp lap takes him to an inherited pole position.
06:25Charles Leclerc once again on Formula One pole for their 25th time in his career.
06:32Max Verstappen has shown everyone the way around this racetrack in the qualifying hour on pole
06:39by very nearly six-tenths of a second.
06:42Charles Leclerc, though, will inherit that pole position after a 10-place drop for Max Verstappen.
06:47Leclerc will share the front row with Sergio Perez.
Comments