00:00I'd say the Racing Bulls car this weekend looks fantastic, the colour scheme.
00:04I love it. It looks like it should be drifting around here, though.
00:07It looks a bit like a drift car.
00:09Yeah, it's got the wheels for it, isn't it?
00:11They are proper drifters' wheels on that.
00:14One more chicane to go at a final corner, and they looked a bit twitchy going through there.
00:18But that's fairly solid there from Liam Lawson, who puts a time in of a 1.31.7.
00:23There's your benchmark time to try and chase his teammate after the Lindblad is next across the line.
00:29He goes a tenth of a second faster.
00:31Now, in the corner with Oscar Piastri, we've got the visor cam, seeing a great shot from the cockpit.
00:37He's a second clear of Esteban Ocon in the Haas.
00:41Next across the line will be Lando Norris, who was on the front row this time last year,
00:45and he goes P2 for the moment through the chicane.
00:48Four-time pole sitter at the Japanese Grand Prix, twice here at Suzuka, twice at Fuji,
00:53and goes second fastest ahead of Lando Norris behind Oscar Piastri with Charles Leclerc to come.
00:58Yeah, Charles Leclerc, first sector purple, he's on a very good lap here.
01:03The lap times are falling dramatically, very, very quickly on their second lap on this title,
01:07first lap on many of them.
01:08Charles Leclerc goes quickest by just over three-tenths from the middle sector,
01:1239.9 in the middle part of the lap, fastest we've seen so far.
01:18Wow, that is quick.
01:21A little bit of oversteer there off the second curve, these cars are so stiff now, but good traction.
01:26And to the line puts in a time of a 1.30.035.
01:31He's only four hundredths faster than Charles Leclerc.
01:34Really good sectors together and he'd been a lot higher, he's currently seventh fastest.
01:38I'll tell you why he didn't in a minute, as George Russell only goes fifth fastest.
01:42Half a second down for George Russell.
01:44Something in the field front right, a lot of oversteer.
01:47Eric can see surface temperatures out of balance.
01:50Really odd.
01:52But this feels aerodynamical, no rear.
01:56Charles Leclerc about to power his way through 1.30R.
02:01And does so very neatly indeed.
02:03Leclerc's on an absolute flyer here.
02:05Hamilton third fastest, a couple of tenths, or nearly three tenths, off the pace,
02:09which is currently being set by Kimi Antonelli.
02:12Five and a half minutes to go.
02:13Charles Leclerc could be about to go fastest, and does so, by a tenth of a second from the Mercedes.
02:20In the 1.29's, Charles Leclerc.
02:22Red Bull can only dream of that at the moment, as George Russell puts in the best middle sector of
02:28all.
02:28Verstappen's had a very good final sector.
02:30To close that deficit somewhat, and to end up six-tenths behind in sixth place.
02:36Albon and Sainz and Bottas and Perez and Stroll and Alonso are all going to have to go faster
02:40to try and get out of the bottom six.
02:42This is Ocon, who's just crossed the line.
02:45Twelve one-thousandths of a second, the difference between those.
02:48Albon goes 16th.
02:50That pushes Oli Behrman down into that bottom six.
02:53But he is right on the cusp.
02:56He really is.
02:56And Lawson takes the chequered flag, eighth fastest.
03:00Alex Albon is out of qualifying.
03:02Colopinto has beaten him, not by much, but by enough.
03:06Bottas to the line, stays P20.
03:09And Sergio Perez is going to out-qualify a teammate here for the first time since 2017,
03:13as Oscar Piastri goes fourth fastest.
03:16Hamilton was a couple of tenths up on Antonelli through the first part of the lap.
03:20The 19-year-old Italian with a 1.29's, seven, three-tenths faster than he managed for a quickest time
03:26in Q1.
03:27George Russell will be next to cross the line.
03:29And as has been the case for much of this weekend, he's two, three-tenths behind.
03:34Three-tenths on this occasion.
03:36By the way, can't believe you got a 6-7 reference in.
03:39That was very impressive, Jenson Button.
03:41And shouldn't go unnoticed.
03:43Hamilton crosses the line.
03:44Third fastest for him.
03:46I think George's time was mostly lost coming out of the last corner.
03:50That massive snap of oversteer.
03:51Sector by Oscar Piastri, 32-1, quickest of all.
03:55But has he used a bit too much of his battery, his energy allowance, in that first part of the
04:00lap?
04:01Gabriel Bortoleto goes third fastest.
04:03Tires new for the McLaren.
04:05Gasly goes sixth fastest ahead of Isaac Hadjar.
04:08Max Verstappen down in P8.
04:10And Esteban Ocon now into the top ten for the one remaining.
04:13Haas. Piastri crosses the line, goes quickest by three-tenths of a second.
04:17Looks, on paper, really impressive.
04:19But it's new tyres against old tyres.
04:22Is that a pace, a genuine pace that McLaren have got?
04:25Or will they get reeled in when they're all on the new tyres a bit later on?
04:2929-4 for Piastri and 1.31 for Carlos Sainz.
04:33So a second between the 16 tyres.
04:36He said George Russell.
04:37Two seconds, sorry, between the second time.
04:39He said George Russell out of the last corner.
04:42He could be right there, losing a lot of his time.
04:45Pretty big, isn't he?
04:46He took a lot of kerb, first apex, second apex.
04:49Yeah, big drift of oversteer there.
04:51Certainly not helping him.
04:53Touching distance here of a time he needs to go fastest overall.
04:57So let's see.
04:58It was a 1.30.1.
04:59He's lost time in that final sector once again.
05:03And he ends up three-tenths down on Oscar Piastri.
05:06It's Mercedes as well of Russell and Antonelli.
05:08Antonelli with a soft tyre, new soft tyre run to come.
05:12And Lewis Hamilton down in six, not getting the speed that his teammate is finding.
05:19As Leclerc goes fastest.
05:20I think we're missing something here.
05:22Wow, that's an impressive lap.
05:23We could lose this much pace.
05:25Just have a look for everything.
05:28Here comes Verstappen then into the final chicane.
05:33Not as bad, to be honest, through there.
05:36Gets to the line, but only goes ninth fastest.
05:40Verstappen's right on the cusp here.
05:42Kupberg stays down in P12.
05:44Lost it all in the final sector.
05:46That might save Max Verstappen for the time being as Colopinto goes ahead of Arvid Lindblad,
05:52who's still out on track.
05:54What happened to Nico Hülkenberg in the final sector?
05:56His teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, puts in the fastest final sector time.
06:01Four tenths quicker than Nico Hülkenberg.
06:03What a lap, Bortoleto.
06:05And what a lap from Arvid Lindblad, who's knocked Max Verstappen out of the top ten.
06:10Arvid Lindblad on his first trip to Suzuka in his rookie year in Formula One
06:15is currently in Q3.
06:18But the man who's suffered the most problems, really, is Max Verstappen.
06:23He's completely unrugged.
06:25Well, suddenly it is qualifying.
06:27Jumping in high speed on the rear, suddenly.
06:31Corrected.
06:32Then he's just waiting because he's gone in too fast.
06:35And he's now on this curve.
06:36And all of that means he's not in the right position he wants.
06:41That's got to be a good part.
06:42It has to have another correction there for the second apex.
06:45And you've just compromised not only the speed and therefore lap time through Spoon,
06:50but also this run all the way up to 130 yards.
06:54So really frustrating time for Max in the high speed corners.
06:57And he's picked up two tenths on his teammate George Russell through that middle part of the lap.
07:02That didn't look too steady.
07:04Coming around the final corner, takes the shortest route to the line.
07:07We're into the 128s for provisional pole.
07:11Chase that one, everybody.
07:12And George Russell can't again.
07:14Three tenths down on his teammate.
07:16It's great to see Lewis get a purple sector in sector one.
07:19And it's a section we all love to drive.
07:22And that will give him so much confidence for sector two and three.
07:24Arvid Lindblad with a 131.5 will have his time deleted for exceeding track limits
07:29as Lando Norris slots into P3 ahead of Pierre Gasly.
07:33His teammate Oscar Piastri will be next to cross the line.
07:36And he goes then ahead of Lando Norris.
07:39There are others still to come, including Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton,
07:42who are pretty much neck and neck on this lap so far.
07:45Hamilton, only fifth fastest once again, losing a bit more time in the final sector.
07:51Leclerc will be next to cross the line.
07:53And he replaces Hamilton, fifth fastest.
07:55Still on provisional pole.
07:56And quicker than George in the middle sector.
07:58And they're not all improving out there currently.
08:00The wind has dropped down.
08:02The temperature of the track has changed a little bit.
08:04Are conditions working against the drivers?
08:06I don't know.
08:06Kimi Antonelli on provisional pole.
08:09And it's a 128.7 that they're having to aim for.
08:12And George Russell hasn't managed it.
08:14And he ends up four tenths down.
08:16Driving to the line, takes the shortcut, ends up P4.
08:20Still for him.
08:22Can Oscar Piastri put his McLaren onto the front row?
08:25Possibly no.
08:26He stays four tenths down.
08:27P3 for him.
08:28He's coming into Spoon now.
08:30Oh, he's got a little bit of understeer there.
08:31But for Carly.
08:33Oh, no.
08:33Big snap of oversteer.
08:34Oh, that's the time gone.
08:36You lose so much time down the straight with a snap of oversteer like that.
08:39Last time out in Shanghai.
08:40He lost half a second down the straight, didn't he?
08:42And that cost him dearly in China.
08:44Gasly goes seventh fastest ahead of Hadjar.
08:47And Bortoletto, Charles Leclerc's P4.
08:49It's a 50th pole position for an Italian driver in Formula One.
08:53Kimi Antonelli has done it again.
08:57Kimi Antonelli.
08:58What a lap.
08:59Three tenths on his teammate, George Russell.
09:01Very, very impressive.
09:02It is a 17th front row lockout in 36 Japanese Grands Prix here.
09:07Hold position, mate.
09:08Let's go, man.
09:11It's a shame the last lap because it was a good one.
09:15But, yeah, good.
09:17I'm happy.
09:18It was a good quality.
09:20Happy.
09:20It was a good quality.
09:21Yeah, good, clean session.
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