Formula 1 Season Episode 45 englishsub fullmovie⭕️🍿

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00:00:01You

00:00:43Last time out, we saw one of the greats win a Grand Prix for the first time in red.

00:00:50I'm not going anywhere.

00:00:54Because I'm here to stay.

00:00:56I'm here to play.

00:00:57I've always imagined what it would be like sitting in the cockpit surrounded by red.

00:01:01This is the most exciting period of my life.

00:01:05Hamilton will write a new chapter.

00:01:08Starting from first in a Ferrari and winning in a Ferrari is next level, man.

00:01:12From that flash of brilliance in China, it really feels like he's struggling in a way we've never seen.

00:01:17So, so, such frustration for the seven-time world champion.

00:01:20It's been the worst season ever.

00:01:23I'm useless.

00:01:24Absolutely useless.

00:01:25No matter how much I try, this keeps going worse.

00:01:28Probably need to change rivals.

00:01:33I recharged Lewis Hamilton for this season.

00:01:36Everyone starts from scratch.

00:01:38So, it really levels the playing field.

00:01:40Hamilton looking like his former self.

00:01:45And Lewis Hamilton finally, finally, has a Ferrari Grand Prix podium.

00:01:53Amazing.

00:01:55Oh, I want to say I'm so, so happy.

00:02:04Hamilton versus Russell and the Grand Prix is underway.

00:02:09And now a high-pressure pit stop for Mercedes.

00:02:12Lewis Hamilton to the race lead.

00:02:13I'm about to take over.

00:02:16The virtual safety car.

00:02:18Hamilton could get the cheap pit stop.

00:02:20Come up in the lead of the race.

00:02:21Hey, you are in for, Hamilton.

00:02:23That couldn't have been better.

00:02:25Better watch out.

00:02:26I'm about to take over.

00:02:28Lewis Hamilton wins a Grand Prix for Ferrari.

00:02:32Let's go.

00:02:33It was a Ferrari.

00:02:34We can now celebrate Lewis again.

00:02:36To be on the top of that podium, to come across the line in the red car.

00:02:39Wow.

00:02:40I dreamt of it as a kid.

00:02:41I think it's just the beginning.

00:02:43Mercedes have got an amazing package and they're so strong.

00:02:45It's going to take absolutely everything to overcome the deficit.

00:02:49But that one's impossible.

00:02:51I'm about to take over.

00:02:59What a weekend for Lewis Hamilton.

00:03:01Not only did he manage to finally take the grand prize in red, but he ended his former

00:03:07team's stranglehold on the 2026 season.

00:03:10Mercedes had won every single race this year up until Barcelona.

00:03:15But that was then and this is now Bye Bye City.

00:03:19Hello to the jaw-dropping beauty of the Styrian Mountains here in Austria.

00:03:23Let's have it.

00:03:26Hello and welcome to qualifying day at the Red Bull Ring.

00:03:29Joining us, not one, but two legends of the sport.

00:03:33Mark Webber and David Coulthard.

00:03:34If I may, gentlemen, you look resplendent in this glorious sunshine.

00:03:38Means handsome and impressive, DC.

00:03:40Oh, thanks.

00:03:42Pleasantry's over.

00:03:43In 2025, it looked like it might never happen.

00:03:46Such was the hellscape of Lewis Hamilton's time at Ferrari.

00:03:50But you don't win seven world titles without possessing a smidge of grit and determination.

00:03:54The champ is back and at 41, he's the oldest Grand Prix winner since 1970, DC.

00:04:01And that man was?

00:04:02Jack Brabham.

00:04:0343 years old and it was in the Brabham Ford.

00:04:05Wow, that was incredibly impressive.

00:04:07I was there.

00:04:08The champ is back though.

00:04:09Yeah.

00:04:10It was old school, vintage Lewis Hamilton.

00:04:13And thank goodness, I said it in the commentary at the time, it's become uncomfortable to

00:04:18be pointing out the facts and the facts where he wasn't at one with the various cars he's

00:04:23had in the last couple of years.

00:04:24Yes, he got that sprint victory in China, early doors.

00:04:27But to finally get that Grand Prix victory, we saw how much it meant to him.

00:04:30Yeah.

00:04:31And it was pure Hollywood for Formula One.

00:04:33Stunning.

00:04:34And he now sits currently in the championship in second place.

00:04:3841 points, that number again.

00:04:4041 points behind Kimi Antonelli.

00:04:42Could we be in the early stages of a championship charge, Mark?

00:04:48Dare we dream?

00:04:49Yep.

00:04:49These are the foundations.

00:04:50You know, these guys know how to accumulate.

00:04:53They know how to get the points on the tricky days.

00:04:55The car's been reliable.

00:04:57You know, that's why he's 41 off, because Kimi's lost some points.

00:04:59George has lost some points.

00:05:00But there's been a few own goals for Mercedes.

00:05:03But, mate, driving beautiful, I think, for all of us as racing fans, which we are.

00:05:08In Barcelona, it was a very touching moment to see him win in a straight dogfight.

00:05:12Awesome.

00:05:13Ferrari really are on the up and up.

00:05:15They bring with them a highly anticipated engine upgrade to Austria.

00:05:19Could this be the weekend where Ferrari become equals to Mercedes?

00:05:24Well, they were more than equal in Barcelona, speed and reliability.

00:05:28Upgrade is definitely going to be a good thing for them.

00:05:30Not just an engine, but on chassis as well.

00:05:32And it feels that they've been building this weekend towards the final practice session where they were right there.

00:05:37They are absolutely within hunting distance of the front row.

00:05:40Or a pole position, excuse me.

00:05:42Better than the front row.

00:05:43Speaking of engines, Antonelli received his first sucker punch of 2026,

00:05:47conking out just four laps from the finish in Barcelona.

00:05:50When you combine George Russell's reliability issues, that 2026 Mercedes is unreliable, Mark.

00:05:58Could that be their Achilles heel in 2026?

00:06:01Sure.

00:06:01You know, you can never get these points back.

00:06:03They say that you can.

00:06:04Oh, we can try and recover.

00:06:05But they're gone.

00:06:06You know, and when the mice is in the machinery, it makes it challenging for you to know,

00:06:10you know, like I say, four laps from the end.

00:06:11He just passed George.

00:06:13That was a key moment in the race, key moment in the championship.

00:06:16And then you have that technical.

00:06:17So, and interestingly, both times in Canada and in Barcelona, they were fighting each other so hard.

00:06:22So hard on the gear, hard on the systems.

00:06:24And it did fail.

00:06:25So, and who was there to capitalize?

00:06:26Boom.

00:06:27Ferrari.

00:06:28Speaking of Mercedes, George Russell.

00:06:31He hasn't won since Australia.

00:06:32Do you see this is round eight?

00:06:34He's got to pull his finger up now, surely.

00:06:37Well, he has been, I think, a little bit unfortunate in some of the events.

00:06:42Pace through free practice here has been good.

00:06:45But, yeah, the pressure's building because the expectation was he was a guy with more experience.

00:06:49And right now, Kimi Antonelli is just in a role of confidence.

00:06:52Whether he's sticking on pole or not, he's just so clean in the way he's driving.

00:06:57I don't remember any mistake since Australia.

00:07:00He is in the zone.

00:07:02Thank you, chaps.

00:07:03Let's hear from some of our drivers.

00:07:04Starting with Ferrari's newest winner.

00:07:07Really, really proud of the team.

00:07:11Was back in Italy last week and seeing just how hard everybody is working to bring not

00:07:17only upgrades to the last race, but just continuing to improve and seeing them pushing so much.

00:07:23And then, you know, to come here with our first step on the engine side, it's a small

00:07:28step, but we'll take it.

00:07:30You know, like it's all about one foot in front of the other.

00:07:33Firstly, it's great to see Lewis back doing what he does best.

00:07:38And, you know, people were writing him off last year or even the year we were teammates

00:07:44in 24.

00:07:46You know, is he too old?

00:07:47Is he this?

00:07:47Is he that?

00:07:48And then he goes and he's been smashing it for the last, you know, four or five races.

00:07:52And it just it just shows that you don't forget how to drive overnight.

00:07:58You need yourself, your team, the setup, the understanding of the tyres, everything just

00:08:06to click.

00:08:06And when it clicks, you fly.

00:08:09But, yeah, Ferrari feel like they're coming and Lewis is at the forefront of that.

00:08:14Yeah, it was a pretty good day.

00:08:16I think we were a step behind Mercedes or at least Kimi, which, you know, we expected.

00:08:24But I think it's been a pretty productive day.

00:08:27Tried a lot of things.

00:08:28We had some homework to do on my side from Spain.

00:08:31And I felt like we've been able to do a good job of trying to try some things.

00:08:36So from that side, I think it's been pretty good.

00:08:39Yeah, that's Oscar after FP2 yesterday.

00:08:42He seems pretty upbeat, Mark.

00:08:43Although 2026 is a very different season for him.

00:08:46Yeah.

00:08:46So how's he doing?

00:08:47Yeah.

00:08:47Like it's been, I think, hit and miss for McLaren.

00:08:50He has a lot of reliability issues.

00:08:51I think Oscar was insanely strong in Japan.

00:08:55Lando sprinted in Miami.

00:08:56And then Lando and Barcelona was pretty strong.

00:08:58Oscar struggled.

00:08:58So they've been, they haven't been together on weekends often.

00:09:03This could be the start of that.

00:09:05Traditionally, they love hot tracks.

00:09:07Barcelona wasn't the case for that because Kimi and those guys were down the road a bit.

00:09:10So let's see, mate.

00:09:12They, historically, they're good here.

00:09:14So.

00:09:15Were they a resounding 1-2 last year?

00:09:17Awesome.

00:09:18Yeah, they did.

00:09:19Like I said, 2026 is a different season.

00:09:20You know the form card is out the window this year, Steve, isn't it?

00:09:22Yeah.

00:09:23But, yeah, let's, you know, he's pretty optimistic.

00:09:25I mean, coming from a low base in Barcelona, I think he's optimistic he can at least try

00:09:28and aim for the first few rows and then hang tough in the race.

00:09:31Okay.

00:09:31Beautiful.

00:09:32Let's talk Max Verstappen.

00:09:34He's won you five times in the past.

00:09:37What are the chances of a sixth this weekend?

00:09:38That would make the orange people very happy, Mark.

00:09:41I mean, this place would explode again for the sixth time.

00:09:46But just that level of commitment you need here.

00:09:48And that's a Verstappen, you know, we know that he's got the right minerals to do that.

00:09:51He, I just think the car needs to be on such a knife edge.

00:09:55For him to do that every single lap, I think, just takes a bit too much out of the tyres.

00:09:59So for him from a Grand Prix distance, I think it's going to be a bit harder for him.

00:10:01But, of course, like, no one here this weekend ever writes Max.

00:10:06But elsewhere, we have to recognise how well Alpine and the Racing Bulls are going.

00:10:12They're both now consistently scoring points.

00:10:15Alpine, nowhere the last couple of years.

00:10:17And now look at them.

00:10:18It's an exciting time for them.

00:10:21Yep.

00:10:21Turn it back into a racing team.

00:10:22Yeah.

00:10:22Let's go racing.

00:10:23Let's just carve out, you know, the previous guys, if you like.

00:10:28And, you know, Flavio has deployed new people in there.

00:10:31The Merck engine, the key component.

00:10:32I know they had one hand behind their back with the Renault engine in the past.

00:10:36The Alpine engine.

00:10:37So, yeah, they're strong.

00:10:39And Gasly's springing his step, which pulls Colopinto along.

00:10:42Engineers lift.

00:10:43It's good stuff.

00:10:43Fantastic.

00:10:44Thank you, Mark.

00:10:45OK, let's head over to Ariana and DC.

00:10:48Thanks, Steve.

00:10:49Well, as those guys have just mentioned, Lando Norris on poll last time here.

00:10:53And it was by a big margin, over half a second.

00:10:55It was the biggest one that we saw last year.

00:10:57DC, talk us through that lap, through the eyes of Lando Norris.

00:11:00Yeah, well, it's a fun little racetrack for the drivers to tackle.

00:11:05And as we come through the final corner, he gets a beautiful launch that takes him down across the line.

00:11:09Not a lot of corners on this track, but when you're at one with the car, which is exactly what

00:11:13Lando was last year,

00:11:15it just follows where you point it and you're not sort of a step behind.

00:11:20So, nicely executed turn one.

00:11:21You've got a big rise up through the kink here at two.

00:11:25I wouldn't actually call that a corner, but it's all triggered by the G-loading as the car goes through.

00:11:30Spots the braking beautifully.

00:11:32Hear that early pickup of the throttle to give him a great drive across the top of the circuit.

00:11:37And then we're going to drop down into turn four, or T4, as fans of Steve Jones would remember.

00:11:43He was presenting that show in the mid-2000s.

00:11:47Anyway, back with the lap, through the kink at five, and then into six.

00:11:52Long, fast, really impressive corner there.

00:11:55Then to drop down the hill, 230 km at the middle of the speed there.

00:11:59And then the little kink coming out.

00:12:02Only two corners to go, counted as nine and ten.

00:12:05Blind on entry to this one.

00:12:07Just beautiful throttle application.

00:12:09Full use of the track.

00:12:10Throws it down into that final dip.

00:12:12That was perfection, and that's why he was on pole by a monster margin.

00:12:17It looks like a really enjoyable track to drive, but as a driver, what are some of the biggest challenges

00:12:21around here?

00:12:22It's spotting your braking, and then getting off those brakes to get that roll through of the apex.

00:12:28There's a lot of lap time in those big stops.

00:12:31And then once you've navigated your way around that middle sector, you've got to have confidence in the rear axle

00:12:37to commit at high speed.

00:12:39Minimum speeds, as you see, 230 km an hour, whatever that is, and miles an hour, 130 miles an hour.

00:12:44That's impressive.

00:12:45It is impressive.

00:12:46Lots for the drivers to consider.

00:12:47Thank you, DC.

00:12:48Ha-ha!

00:12:49Thank you, guys.

00:12:50I knew DC was a T4 fan.

00:12:52He's got one tree hill written all over him.

00:12:54All right.

00:12:55Let's take a quick one.

00:12:56On the other side, DC, a marker in the pits, and we chat with Ollie Behrman.

00:13:00Don't go anywhere.

00:13:15Welcome back.

00:13:16Max Verstappen, can he work his magic at the Red Bull ring?

00:13:21Never happened before, has it?

00:13:22Formula One team, circuit, RB.

00:13:26He's truly inspirational, what they have done for the sport, but will it be enough to give him a chance

00:13:31to fight for pole?

00:13:32This man here, pointing.

00:13:34He looks much bigger here than in reality, but there he is.

00:13:38That's a statement of intent.

00:13:40It's going to be a big ask for George, but he looked like he was finding some pace late in

00:13:45the free practice session.

00:13:47But I think a lot of the eyes will be on further down the pit lane.

00:13:53McLaren not looking quite like they've got the pace to challenge for the pole, but have they got, with their

00:14:00upgrades, a car that will work in the Grand Prix tomorrow?

00:14:03I think the main challengers, well, that's further down the pit lane, and the Thunder from down unders with Ferrari.

00:14:09Thanks very much, DC.

00:14:11It's down under temperatures, son, isn't it?

00:14:13Down under temperatures.

00:14:14It's absolutely boiling down here.

00:14:17And here's Lewis Hamilton's car, final preparations.

00:14:21Smithy, I just want you to have a look inside this nose box, mate.

00:14:23This is really interesting.

00:14:24For the viewers at home, when you see sometimes they change a nose in the pit lane during a race,

00:14:28look at these hydraulic lines that have got to match up.

00:14:30You know, this is on the front of the chassis, so it always has to align when they're in a

00:14:33panic pit stop.

00:14:34That's really fascinating to see.

00:14:36It's not just jamming a front wing on.

00:14:37They've actually got to get it on, line it up, and then screw it on, and obviously out there they

00:14:41go again.

00:14:41What can they do today?

00:14:42They've got an upgrade.

00:14:43It's a big moment for them.

00:14:45They've just got the back of a really awesome victory with Lewis.

00:14:47And this is him.

00:14:48He's in P3.

00:14:49He was really quick, wasn't he, the last session.

00:14:51Leclerc struggling a little bit.

00:14:52It looks like the brakes are always, for him, being a little bit of an issue.

00:14:54We saw him crash in Monaco.

00:14:56We saw him have issues in Barcelona in qualifying.

00:14:57Can he convert this raw speed that Leclerc has into some magic laps that we've seen from him in the

00:15:04past?

00:15:04He needs to execute these phenomenal qualifying laps, does Charles Leclerc, as we see the final preparations on his car,

00:15:10too, there.

00:15:11It's hot.

00:15:12It's tricky.

00:15:14And what can the drivers do?

00:15:16And these scorching temperatures are going to be on their absolute ragged edge, high-speed corners, absolutely through the last

00:15:22sector here is absolutely magic.

00:15:24Stavros, what have you got for us, mate?

00:15:30Stavros, what have you got for us, mate?

00:15:55Our David wanted to check in with him, see how he's doing.

00:15:58Here they are a couple of days back, just there in the corner.

00:16:10So, Oli, here we are, small, fun little track.

00:16:13Is this one that you performed well at in the past?

00:16:15Is there any particular quirks of this track that you really love, don't enjoy?

00:16:19I think it's a cool track.

00:16:20It's, you know, the shortest track of the year, pretty much, in terms of lap time.

00:16:24And it's very unique in that sense.

00:16:26You know, there's only six or seven real corners.

00:16:29There's ten, officially, but there's a lot of kinks, and they try and add up the numbers, you know.

00:16:32But it means that everyone has to be absolutely perfect.

00:16:35And generally, especially last year, the gaps were incredibly close, being a one-minute, five-second lap.

00:16:39So, I expect the things to be a bit, you know, wider this year, given the new regulations.

00:16:44But I think there's always a chance to get everything right, and hopefully we can have a good weekend.

00:16:49There's always chances to overtake around here.

00:16:50The heat, incredibly hot here this weekend.

00:16:53That may push it into the threshold, the drivers wearing the cooling suits.

00:16:56Do you do that, or are you not, you know, young and fit?

00:16:58Do you bother?

00:16:59Yeah, I'm going to try it today and see how I feel.

00:17:02To be honest, I feel like it's not the hardest track, to be honest, of the year.

00:17:06You know, it's nothing compared to Singapore or things like that.

00:17:09But for me, if I can keep myself cooler, it's free performance.

00:17:13So, if I can run it, I will.

00:17:15If it's annoying, then I'm going to take it off.

00:17:17Yeah, right.

00:17:18Absolutely great.

00:17:19Wish you all the very best.

00:17:20Appreciate it.

00:17:20Keep pushing.

00:17:22Crackin' stuff.

00:17:23Short and sweet, but they also discuss Silverstone at length, so obviously we will bring you that next week.

00:17:29He is an impressive kid.

00:17:31The results sheets don't fully show it, but those who know their onions can see he is one of the

00:17:36strongest young prospects in F1 DC.

00:17:39Yep.

00:17:39He's got all the necessary speed.

00:17:42He's got professionalism.

00:17:44Seems pretty chilled with life.

00:17:46And let's remind ourselves, when he jumped in as a replacement in that one race for Carlos Sainz, he scored

00:17:50points.

00:17:51He was a reserve driver for Ferrari in 2024, which makes me think that's where he's heading eventually, Mark Ferrari.

00:17:58Although he won't be that happy to see Lewis Hamilton doing so well at the moment.

00:18:00Yeah, I think that might have put a little bit of a stall on the holding pattern, maybe.

00:18:05But I think, you know, DC's right.

00:18:06I mean, he's doing, he's done a lot of good stuff already since he's been here, doing his apprenticeship at

00:18:10Haas.

00:18:11Fit lad, too.

00:18:12I like that.

00:18:13Disciplined.

00:18:13He's out there.

00:18:14We see him around, down in Monaco, and he's putting a shift in.

00:18:16He's hungry for it.

00:18:17Yeah.

00:18:18And that's what Ferrari want to see, if the opportunity's there.

00:18:20The future is bright for Oli Berman.

00:18:22More from him next week in Silverstone.

00:18:24Okay.

00:18:25We are on the precipice of a very important qualifying session.

00:18:28Only two of the 21 races here have been won from outside the top three.

00:18:33The names of those two races, Max Verstappen in 2018, and back in 2001, David Coulthard.

00:18:40So, DC, you're very well positioned to tell us how does one master the Red Bull ring?

00:18:45Well, I think it's a reflection of the fact that qualifying isn't the be-all and end-all.

00:18:49Monaco would be the obvious example of you've got to qualify at the front, get your elbows out, and then

00:18:54you can win that one at your own pace.

00:18:56Here, it's a lot, you know, long corners, it's hot, it's going to be a tyre race.

00:19:02You know, ideally you'd want to try and do one, but you're probably pushed into the winning strategy.

00:19:05Last year was two.

00:19:06So, having longevity, having, think back to Barcelona, Hamilton was just really comfortable on his tyres, and that was the

00:19:14winning formula.

00:19:15So, pull is not the be-all and end-all here.

00:19:18I think I'm right in saying we do see a lot of deleted times here, Mark.

00:19:22Driver's getting greedy.

00:19:23Is that something to look out for today?

00:19:25Absolutely, Steve.

00:19:25Because there's not many corners here, which sounds weird, but such a short lap.

00:19:29So, every little half a tenth, they're, like, pushing the boundaries through the double left here, and their long corners

00:19:34is decent.

00:19:35You're in there a long time, and the track's that it closes on the exit, and you've got to sometimes

00:19:38reset the throttle, and you're like,

00:19:39I'm not resetting the throttle, I'm going to stay here, and you've just run out of row.

00:19:43Come on in, chaps. Let's have it. Who's going to do it?

00:19:46Hamilton, Kimi, can Max do a Max? What are you thinking?

00:19:51I'm thinking Kimi. It just looks like he's just the average lap time.

00:19:55Whenever he's there, it's always there or thereabouts, or we've seen the odd lap, which is three or four tenths

00:20:00clear.

00:20:00So, I think his average pace is just going to be a bit too strong for them.

00:20:03Do you concur?

00:20:04I think that he's been super strong throughout, but there was a large, sort of last-minute run at it

00:20:10there from George Russell in free practice.

00:20:11I'm going to go George. George is in the comeback trail.

00:20:13You're laying the foundations for a whole load of intrigue. Thank you, chaps.

00:20:16All right. Stay with us, because next, we qualify.

00:20:33Welcome back to Austria.

00:20:35The sun is shining.

00:20:37The stands are packed.

00:20:39The only thing that's missing are 22 cars screaming their way around the Red Bull ring.

00:20:44Let's fix that.

00:20:45Let's join the wonderful Alex Jakes, Julian Palmer, and David Coulthard in commentary.

00:20:50Here comes qualifying round eight.

00:20:52Oh, Alex, I had some apropos information come my way.

00:20:56Somebody told me you were in an amateur production of The Sound of Music, and apparently your Maria was incredible.

00:21:02It was a one-man show, Steve.

00:21:04It was not well-reviewed.

00:21:06Hello, everyone.

00:21:07The hills are alive with the sound of cliché intros.

00:21:10Let's get to qualifying.

00:21:12Let's start with George Russell, then.

00:21:13A little bit wider, the apex at turn six.

00:21:16He's got a touch of wheelspin coming out of the first couple of corners, as well.

00:21:21Trying to deploy all of that power.

00:21:23We talk now of the enhanced electric motor for this year.

00:21:27Two corners to go.

00:21:28Nose cam is a great shot of how low you get over the curve,

00:21:31and then use the apex and exit on the final turn.

00:21:34And Russell comes through with a modest 107.8.

00:21:38That is 7 tenths away from what he managed earlier on.

00:21:41Yeah, that feels very much like a banker.

00:21:44Feel the car, see where the track has evolved.

00:21:46There's been some other track activities since they were in their final practice session ahead of this qualifying.

00:21:52And also, I think, important in this first phase, 22 cars all trying to find space on the short lap.

00:22:01Just get a confidence.

00:22:03What is the car feeling?

00:22:04Is this one that I know?

00:22:06And it looked tight enough, didn't it, Julian?

00:22:08It gave his impression that he was not caught out by anything on that lap.

00:22:11And he'll know, of course, he has to go a step quicker within the next two sessions.

00:22:16Yeah, you want to start from a happy baseline, though.

00:22:19No big snaps.

00:22:20Car in a good place.

00:22:22I'm sure there's a lot more to come there for George.

00:22:24But you want to at least think the car's roughly in the window,

00:22:27that when the track grips up, you know what you're going to do with it.

00:22:31And you could just make incremental gains rather than big leaps,

00:22:34which is what you're looking for if you're a top team heading through qualifying.

00:22:38The other big guns are out there now, Verstappen and Norris.

00:22:40One in main screen.

00:22:41Norris on your picture-in-picture on the left-hand side.

00:22:44The first part of qualifying, to me, is looking tough.

00:22:48Obviously for Cadillac and Aston Martin, but Williams as well.

00:22:52Add in Esteban Ocon, who sat out FB1 and hasn't looked comfortable.

00:22:55And they are sort of seven threats for six places in Q1.

00:23:00And that's why they've all gone pretty early.

00:23:01And as you can see on the left-hand side, Ocon just shading Alex Alvin

00:23:05in what will probably be the battle to escape Q1.

00:23:08Over the line we go with Max Verstappen now.

00:23:10And he goes ahead of George Russell by four-tenths of a second.

00:23:13Lando Norris going nicely through the middle part of the lap.

00:23:15Norris really leaning on the kerb at turn eight.

00:23:19He's been doing that all the way through.

00:23:21Hajar goes into second position all the way through the weekend for Norris.

00:23:24This is the tenth and final corner of the racetrack.

00:23:27And Lando Norris comes over the line.

00:23:29And he is a tenth quicker than Max Verstappen.

00:23:31Red Bull are already showing a little bit more.

00:23:34I've said it earlier on.

00:23:36They do sometimes come alive a bit in qualifying.

00:23:39And look, Hajar has just done his best lap of the weekend by a mile.

00:23:421,000 off Verstappen.

00:23:44Everyone's going to keep improving from that.

00:23:46But they're all getting much closer to the pace.

00:23:48We'll see what Mercedes can do in a moment.

00:23:50But Leclerc comes through, goes slower.

00:23:52What about Hamilton?

00:23:53Hamilton had the fastest first sector so far.

00:23:56He's only three hundredths back.

00:23:57Again, he is the lead Ferrari contender on his first push lap of Q1.

00:24:04Talking to some of the engineers, the way they're driving the lap now, the nature of it,

00:24:11they don't have to, let's say, be as wild in those fast corners.

00:24:15You know, you're trying to drive to the tyre than drive to the edge of your wits.

00:24:21And maybe that's just giving a comfort zone to some and confusing others.

00:24:26But when we picked up the off-board of Max Verstappen through six,

00:24:30it looked to me, Julian, that he was leaning over that front tyre quite a bit,

00:24:34which is something you can, during the session, you can put a bit more front wing,

00:24:38assuming you're not trying to swap in someone else around the lap.

00:24:41Yeah, that's his feedback on the radio as well.

00:24:43Too much understeer.

00:24:44Antonelli looking like he's got armfuls of lock as well at turn four.

00:24:47So a similar phenomenon at the lower speed.

00:24:51Then we go into six then, as we cut away to get a shot of the brushed gravel there for

00:24:56Antonelli.

00:24:56Stay clear of it.

00:24:57We're the fastest middle sector.

00:25:00They seem to be clear of it by millimetres, which you would call perfection.

00:25:06He's been running that close to it all the way through the weekend.

00:25:09He's devastating in the middle part of the circuit.

00:25:12That's the line at the end as well.

00:25:14Same through nine and ten.

00:25:16Yeah.

00:25:16Tidy lap for Antonelli.

00:25:17He is top of the pile.

00:25:20107.

00:25:210.

00:25:218.

00:25:223.

00:25:22Then Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hadja, Piastri and Leclerc.

00:25:26George Russell in eighth position.

00:25:28Form guide for you.

00:25:30It is possible to do multiple push laps on one set of tyres.

00:25:33The driver chasing his 11th Grand Prix pole today.

00:25:37Russell going again on that first set of tyres.

00:25:39So he went out quite early with the usual Q2 hopefuls, really, which is your Williams, Cadillac, Aston Martin teams.

00:25:48Plus, Esteban O'Connor.

00:25:50Russell went with him.

00:25:51Obviously, he must be trying to dial himself in a little bit with a set-up change between practice and

00:25:56qualifying, which is why he's gone early.

00:25:58He got the banker on the board and now goes again on what is the same tyre, so a scrubbed

00:26:03run, which he managed to find pace on earlier on.

00:26:06Right.

00:26:06Eight minutes to go in the first part of qualifying.

00:26:10Those fearing the exit in Q1 are on their second push laps.

00:26:14George Russell, with that set-up change, running with them, even though he is expecting to comfortably get through.

00:26:21He's half a second away from what his team-mate has just put together.

00:26:24So Russell finds himself, of the big four teams, in the eighth position that puts him at the back of

00:26:30that.

00:26:31Now, second runs, Sainz escapes the drop zone at the moment.

00:26:34What can Alex Albon do over the line in the second, Williams?

00:26:37He goes ahead of Carlos Sainz.

00:26:39Crucial lap for him.

00:26:40Yeah, this is the meaningful bit of Q1, really.

00:26:43Everyone else is trying to dial through into Q2 and Q3, but with the field spread that we've seen,

00:26:48it looks like we have those seven contenders for six spots.

00:26:51Alonso will surely be in them, because Aston Martin have been woeful so far this weekend.

00:26:56He's in a private battle with Lance Stroll.

00:26:59See what Bottas can do in the second Cadillac here.

00:27:02Two-time winner of this Grand Prix, and he is behind his team-mate.

00:27:065-2 down in qualifying and race results when it comes to the match-up at Cadillac.

00:27:12They're 1.8, 1.9 seconds away.

00:27:15Albon is winning this battle to escape those who have been struggling so far this weekend.

00:27:21Hülkenberg with a huge moment trying to summon speed that might not be there for the Audi.

00:27:27Yeah, wider than would be ideal.

00:27:30Manages to keep it shy of the gravel.

00:27:33But Willis will, well, he's certainly on an improved overall lap.

00:27:36And again, you see it sparking through the depth there at the final corner.

00:27:42It's the classic.

00:27:44Same set of tyres starting to overheat from early on in the lap, and then it gets worse and worse.

00:27:49This was a dramatic lap for Hülkenberg, trying to summon grip from the Pirellis that wasn't there,

00:27:55and bouncing off the apex kerb as a result at 10.

00:27:57Yeah, does he hit the inside cone?

00:27:59No, misses it.

00:28:00But I think he dipped in to bottom out in the corner, and that gave him some lack of load

00:28:05in the front axle,

00:28:06gave him a bit of understeer, and he had that correction, which meant he didn't improve in that final sector.

00:28:11Max out of the car.

00:28:13Staying very cool.

00:28:14So he's not about to go and try another run.

00:28:18Push laps, crucial push laps coming in now.

00:28:20We're on board with Franco Colopinto hanging on to it.

00:28:22Yeah, Ocon as well now on his lap, and he's not done a great first couple of seconds.

00:28:26As he's fractionally up, he's got to hold it together and find probably a little bit more there.

00:28:31So Ocon is in the final corners of the racetrack.

00:28:35Let's watch Colopinto over the line.

00:28:37So he goes ahead of his teammate, but this is crucial.

00:28:39The one-time Grand Prix winner, Esteban Ocon.

00:28:43Active arrow wide open, and he improves.

00:28:46That final sector was excellent.

00:28:48That was what he needed.

00:28:49He's up to 13th.

00:28:50So pressure on the Williams duo.

00:28:52Sainz, one corner to go, bouncing off the car.

00:28:54Oh, he's nearly dropped it at the final corner.

00:28:57Time ebbing away, but Sainz improves to 14th.

00:29:00But crucially, he's behind Ocon, who has found the improvement.

00:29:04And now Alex Alvin across the line.

00:29:07He does not find an improvement and remains in the drop zone.

00:29:10Hulkenberg there at the moment as well, but on a better lap.

00:29:13So is Gabriel Bortoleto.

00:29:15So Sainz is still under threat.

00:29:16Oh, Bortoleto's hit the gravel though.

00:29:18Leaves him vulnerable as it stands.

00:29:20Big, big improvements in terms of time, but he's lost time through the gravel there.

00:29:25Now you're hanging on to it, spiking those rear temps.

00:29:27How much can you commit to the fast corners?

00:29:30Coaxes it in.

00:29:31Oh, he's ragging this car through the final corners.

00:29:34He looked capable of dropping it at the final four corners of the racetrack.

00:29:37But it adds up to the 12th fastest time.

00:29:39Gabriel Bortoleto, point scorer here last year, finds his way through.

00:29:43His teammate is in the drop zone and needs a lap to eliminate Carlos Sainz.

00:29:48Hulkenberg across the line.

00:29:49And can he get there?

00:29:51He will get there.

00:29:52And he'll get up to 15th place.

00:29:54So that will be that.

00:29:57Big lap from the Audi duo.

00:29:59And Sainz having all of that oversteer out of the final corner.

00:30:02That's the difference between him and Esteban Ocon.

00:30:04George Russell with another chance to get a feel for the Mercedes.

00:30:08And he finds a game with the best final sector of anyone.

00:30:11And that, once again, is on the same set of tyres.

00:30:13Behind Liam Lawson.

00:30:15Liam Lawson, point scorer here last year as well.

00:30:18Fourth fastest.

00:30:20Going again.

00:30:21But going again on a new set of tyres.

00:30:24But ending up fourth fastest.

00:30:25Three tenths of a second away.

00:30:27And Esteban Ocon.

00:30:28There was going to be one driver who was going to escape there in the battle.

00:30:31We've mentioned the seven contenders.

00:30:34Six places to be decided.

00:30:36Eliminated in the first part of qualifying.

00:30:38And Ocon made it through by two hundredths of a second.

00:30:41It's Sainz, Alvin, Perez, Bottas, Alonso and Stroll.

00:30:46Eliminated in the first part of qualifying.

00:31:03Kimi Antonelli led the timings after Q1.

00:31:06Ahead of Lando Norris in second.

00:31:08And Lewis Hamilton three tenths behind in third.

00:31:10It was another bad day for Aston Martin.

00:31:13Lance Stroll was nearly three seconds behind Antonelli.

00:31:15On the second shortest track on the calendar.

00:31:18He starts in last place with his teammate Fernando Alonso.

00:31:21Just one place ahead.

00:31:22Also going out with the two Cadillacs.

00:31:25Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

00:31:27And it was another difficult day for Williams.

00:31:29Carlos Sainz will start in 17th.

00:31:31One place ahead of his teammate Alex Alvin.

00:31:34It's tricky because we're sliding around a lot in the long corners.

00:31:38And so we just generate so much temperature.

00:31:40It's already hot out here as it is.

00:31:41And the tyres are screaming.

00:31:44So we spent FP3 doing long ones.

00:31:47Actually preparing our Sunday car more than today.

00:31:50And we made some good changes to the car.

00:31:52Just in the comparative scheme of things.

00:31:55It's small.

00:31:55But directionally for us it made things better.

00:31:57So we can take some solace in that.

00:31:59And we are trying.

00:32:01We're experimenting.

00:32:02It's just at the minute we don't have the pace.

00:32:0715 minutes on the clock for Q2.

00:32:10And taking part Ocon Hülkenberg, Behrmann, Gasly, Bortleto, Kolopinto, Lindblad and the big four teams.

00:32:18And you know those names.

00:32:19Norris through the final couple of corners.

00:32:22Oh, he nearly dropped it at nine.

00:32:23He nearly dropped it at ten.

00:32:25Lando Norris out there on his own.

00:32:27Nearly trying something different.

00:32:28Trying to play himself in.

00:32:30And it's a 107.3.

00:32:31Yeah, the cars look lively, don't they, through the final turn.

00:32:35That was millimeter perfect through nine.

00:32:37But you've then got to come from a whisper gravel to turn it in for ten.

00:32:40He managed to do that then.

00:32:42But is it similar to Sainz there?

00:32:44Trying to squeeze on the gas.

00:32:45That was, as you mentioned, a scrub set of tires there for Norris.

00:32:48It's a very good lap time for a scrub set of tires, I'd say.

00:32:51And he had to use all of that grip.

00:32:54And again, when you're on the scrub tire, trying to keep those rears in check at the end of the

00:32:59lap.

00:32:59With loads of traction zones and then the fast corners is the challenge.

00:33:03He'll get a bit more grip when he bolts for a new set of tires.

00:33:07I think we've got a genuine three-way battle when we get to it.

00:33:11For who can get the clean lap.

00:33:14Who's in the three, DC?

00:33:16Well, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari.

00:33:18But if you're wanting three drivers, then I definitely think that it looks like Landon Orris is more comfortable of

00:33:25the two McLaren drivers.

00:33:27Lewis, of course, looking more comfortable of the Ferraris.

00:33:30And, well, I do think that George has the potential.

00:33:34But we've got to say, Antonelli, every time he turns the time, it's just quick, isn't it?

00:33:41He's surely the favourite still, having dialled straight back in.

00:33:44I don't know if Red Bull are completely out of this with Verstappen.

00:33:48They've got a little bit of time to make up.

00:33:50Max was out of the car, just did one run, one lap at the start of Q1.

00:33:55He's on a better lap here than Lando Norris.

00:33:57He's also on a scrub tyre.

00:33:59I would almost say it's three and a half in it.

00:34:06Yeah.

00:34:07Three and max.

00:34:08Hedging the vets.

00:34:10We're going to get an answer now of lap time.

00:34:13Verstappen over the line, faster than Lando Norris.

00:34:15Let's see what Hadjar can do now.

00:34:18Driver originally from Paris and France across the line.

00:34:22And he is a tenth away.

00:34:23Four in it.

00:34:24Let's give it that.

00:34:25They're all in it.

00:34:26Charles Leclerc may be about to take that best time down.

00:34:29Turns in pretty early for turn 10, but the grip stayed with him.

00:34:33And he lowers the benchmark.

00:34:35So he gets closer.

00:34:37Still not have the ultimate drop down into the 106s.

00:34:40It's coming.

00:34:41That is a new set of tyres for Leclerc.

00:34:43This is a new set of tyres for Hamilton as well.

00:34:46So on the evidence of the weekend, you'd expect Lewis Hamilton to take us into the 160s, but he doesn't.

00:34:51He misses out.

00:34:52He's 9,000 slower than Charles Leclerc on that lap.

00:34:56Into turn six we go with Kimi Antonelli.

00:34:58He's all over the curbs on the exit of four.

00:35:00A corner he has been attacking time and time again.

00:35:03He's up on Charles Leclerc's time.

00:35:05So this is a new set of tyres for Antonelli too.

00:35:07So I think that Red Bull pace is pretty good to be a tenth and a half down on the

00:35:13Ferrari on new tyres.

00:35:14But can the Mercedes take it away once more into the final turn we go?

00:35:19Right to the extremity of the curbs.

00:35:21Confident driving again.

00:35:23Two tenths to the good.

00:35:24Championship leader, Kimi Antonelli.

00:35:27We've got Piastri lighting up the middle part of the lap.

00:35:33Good effort.

00:35:34We're into the 106s.

00:35:35That's the fastest lap of the weekend so far for Kimi Antonelli.

00:35:38That's a good lap from Piastri though.

00:35:40Same time on circuit.

00:35:41Also a new set of tyres there.

00:35:42So not messing around with a run on scrubbed like his teammate did.

00:35:47And keeping the Mercedes honest.

00:35:50This was Gasly.

00:35:51He said he dropped it there last year.

00:35:53He tried his best to do it again before.

00:35:55A nice bit of opposite lock.

00:35:57Saves the day.

00:35:58Lovely bit of drifting.

00:35:59This is the tenth and final turn of the racetrack.

00:36:03And Lando Norris gathering it up as he crosses the line.

00:36:06Yeah, right on the edge of that rumble strip.

00:36:09So you'd call that perfection in terms of drifting.

00:36:15With four minutes to go.

00:36:16Russell's got enough.

00:36:17I'm sure he must be carrying enough fuel here for two laps.

00:36:20He's got the time to do it.

00:36:21And they need a bailout option in case he has another lock up or catches a yellow flag.

00:36:26But Toto was just saying, look, you're in a Mercedes.

00:36:28You will make the top ten.

00:36:30And then we'll figure out something more again.

00:36:31But you have to now just put a lap on the board, drive naturally, and then have a look and

00:36:37see what your teammates doing and see if you can do something different, maybe in terms of tyre prep or

00:36:41even a bit of a set-up tweak, which would more or less just be a bit of front wing

00:36:45flap now at this stage.

00:36:47And we see Russell now into what is an unnecessarily pressurised lap.

00:36:52He makes his way through turn three.

00:36:54DC's heading to four.

00:36:56Nice clear track ahead.

00:36:57Norris, the only other guy up the road, and he's in the middle of turn six.

00:37:01So it's a case of trusting in his instincts, you know, throw it in there, react to what the car

00:37:10gives you.

00:37:11And as you said, Julian, the car is clearly capable of delivering a 1.6.7 as displayed by Antonelli.

00:37:21Norris across the line for the third fastest time with the fastest middle sector so far.

00:37:26He was our pole sitter last year.

00:37:27Russell just needs a clean last couple of corners.

00:37:29Antonelli super quick in that final sector.

00:37:32Can Russell get near him?

00:37:34He has not gone for a new set of tyres, so that's the confidence that Mercedes have, that he'll get

00:37:38out of trouble on his own, and he does that.

00:37:40Clean lap delivered from George Russell.

00:37:41There was always the performance in there for Mercedes, but he needed a performance between the white lines, and he

00:37:48delivers it.

00:37:49Toto, knowing the camera's on him, is this smile territory?

00:37:53What sort of reaction do we get from his driver getting out from 16th place up to 4th?

00:37:58But let's call that a smirk, as he knows now he's got two contenders for pole position in Q3.

00:38:03The big four teams have margin to Gasly, Lawson, Lindblad, Borglieto, Colopinto, Behrman, Hulkenberg, and Ocon.

00:38:12The other contenders, there are two slots effectively then, away from the big hitters to make your way in to

00:38:18Q3.

00:38:19They will all know that in the midfield pack.

00:38:22Form guide so far this weekend, Gasly has put good laps together, Lawson has been strong and occupying places in

00:38:30the top 10.

00:38:31This is Charles Leclerc with the personal best in the middle sector.

00:38:33Lewis Hamilton going really nicely through the first two sectors of the racetrack as well.

00:38:40Charles Leclerc across the line, no improvement of position for him.

00:38:44Can Hamilton keep the performance in turns 9 and 10, running the hairy edge of the curve?

00:38:51And Hamilton does improve up to 5th place ahead of his team.

00:38:55That's good. That's a good lap from Hamilton.

00:38:57That's a scrub set of tyres from both Ferraris.

00:39:00Hajar comes through in the Red Bull and gets ahead of Max.

00:39:03I don't think Max is being paid by the lap today.

00:39:05Because he's only done one flying lap in Q1, one flying lap in Q2.

00:39:11It's enough, but look at Liam Lawson again.

00:39:14Lawson to P8.

00:39:15What he was aiming for.

00:39:17Lindblad finds himself now in 9th position.

00:39:21And Max Verstappen in the pits.

00:39:24Should have the margin on everyone behind, but he is currently the driver at risk.

00:39:29He can't be sure.

00:39:30Gasly out there on a push lap, trying to find a couple of tenths.

00:39:34Over the line we go with Behrman, who got within 3 tenths of a second of Max Verstappen.

00:39:41Behrman, Gasly and Ocon.

00:39:44Over the line goes Hülkenberg.

00:39:47And Gasly, at the second sector, is 2,000ths up on Max Verstappen.

00:39:51Yeah, Gasly is the threat hit.

00:39:53Was in 11th place.

00:39:54Doesn't have too much to find.

00:39:55Portoleto is not miles away from Max.

00:39:57He's only one tenth.

00:39:58So here we go.

00:39:59Pierre Gasly to knock Verstappen out.

00:40:02Gasly collects it.

00:40:04On turn 10, and he misses out by four hundredths.

00:40:08Red Bull will breathe again.

00:40:10They have made it through by a fine margin.

00:40:15Well, that must have been sort of squeaky-bomb time there, watching that lap unfold.

00:40:21But strategically, it's put them in a good place on tyres.

00:40:25What it means is they carry an extra new set of softs into the race tomorrow.

00:40:30We're expecting the race tomorrow to be more than one pit stop.

00:40:33It's probably a two-stop.

00:40:34So Max, by virtue of braving it out there, will have a new set of softs to maybe start the

00:40:39race on, get a good launch, and throw some moves early on.

00:40:43But, my word, what a risk with it.

00:40:46Well, Max Verstappen really gambled it there.

00:40:50Gasly, four hundredths of a second away from eliminating the five-time winner.

00:40:55But it didn't happen.

00:40:56Verstappen makes it through.

00:40:57Gasly, Bortoleto, Behrman, Hülkenberg, Ocon, Colopinto.

00:41:02The drivers eliminated.

00:41:18Once again, Kimi Antonelli was quickest.

00:41:21He led the timings in Q2 ahead of the two McLarens, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

00:41:27George Russell left it late, but he finished fourth fastest.

00:41:30Going out were both Audis, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg, both Haases, Esteban Ocon and Oli Behrman, who will start

00:41:37tomorrow's race in 13th.

00:41:39The two Alpines also failed to make it through to Q3.

00:41:42Franco Colopinto will start the race in 16th.

00:41:45Pierre Gasly, 11th.

00:41:46He was just four hundredths of a second away from knocking out Max Verstappen.

00:41:49I feel like a very good luck to me with you.

00:41:52We are not, unfortunately, mate.

00:41:53Oh.

00:41:55I thought it was one of these laps that, you know, gets me to Q3.

00:41:59And when I passed the line, I was really happy, pleased with how the whole lap went.

00:42:05I felt very, like, on the limit everywhere.

00:42:08And I think, in the end, it's kind of where we are.

00:42:11We've seen the V-cars been on it the whole weekend.

00:42:13There's not much in it.

00:42:14But yesterday, I really didn't really feel good in the car.

00:42:18And today, I must say, the balance was there.

00:42:22A few things there and there.

00:42:23But when I see the long run pace yesterday, when I wasn't too comfortable and I know we made a

00:42:28step in the right direction, that gives me good hope.

00:42:31So, yeah, we're starting right outside the top ten and we'll go for the points.

00:42:37Now, we're about to see the best laps of the weekend.

00:42:41We're going to get first attempts coming up right now.

00:42:44New tyres on board.

00:42:45Charles Leclerc's Ferrari.

00:42:47There is no finer moment in Formula One when you're getting into the final part of qualifying.

00:42:52New tyres on the car.

00:42:54But no real worry about where traffic is.

00:42:57It's the moment to shine.

00:43:01So, Antonelli is the ninth car out onto circuit.

00:43:05Behind him is George Russell.

00:43:07The first car out onto circuit is Lando Norris.

00:43:09Starting a flying lap right now.

00:43:10So, he's going to come past the two Mercedes on his flyer.

00:43:13Then he'll have to jump out of the way.

00:43:15Easy for everyone to find a bit of clear track.

00:43:17There's long straights to look ahead and behind.

00:43:19Here comes Lando.

00:43:21So, the driver that won the Grand Prix one year ago.

00:43:25Trying to give himself a foundation to attack on the second run.

00:43:28Getting tight to the sausage curve on the exit of turn number one.

00:43:32And then, this is such a power sensitive sector of the racetrack.

00:43:35And he'll put his time on the board of a 16.6.

00:43:39Norris attacking into turn three now.

00:43:41That's a good first sector.

00:43:42Was he a bit hot into turn three there?

00:43:44Looked like he had a lot of turning to do towards the exit still.

00:43:47And it's quite an important punch down the hill towards turn four.

00:43:50First sector is decent.

00:43:52Big hit on the brakes again.

00:43:55Yeah, I think he did go a little bit over the front tyre as he ran through into the apex

00:44:01of turn three.

00:44:02See if he's able to get a bit more balance in these higher speed corners.

00:44:06The first sector of the racetrack is one turn and it's all power sensitive.

00:44:11Max Verstappen is faster than the Mercedes power for the McLaren through the first sector.

00:44:16Norris quit through sector two.

00:44:18That's a better first sector by a tenth than anyone's managed all weekend for Verstappen.

00:44:22That is big.

00:44:23Huge commitment.

00:44:24For Lando Norris, across the line he goes and it is a 106.9.

00:44:29But Verstappen, fastest sector one, fastest sector two.

00:44:32And Verstappen now has two corners to go and he has always been electric around this circuit.

00:44:37Can he give himself another opportunity?

00:44:40Can he get ahead of Lando Norris and put pressure on the Mercedes drivers?

00:44:44It's a 106.4.

00:44:47Max Verstappen steps forward with a great first effort.

00:44:50How does Piastri respond to it?

00:44:52He comes across the line now.

00:44:53Great final sector.

00:44:54He's P2 ahead of his team mate.

00:44:56That's a monster lap from Verstappen.

00:44:58The first sector was a tenth to the good.

00:45:00The rest of it was pretty excellent as well.

00:45:02That'll take some beating from everyone, including the Mercedes who have not matched him at the start of the lap.

00:45:08Yeah, super impressive there.

00:45:09The confidence of a man who knew where to put the race car.

00:45:13And Leclerc, well, a little bit shy.

00:45:15He'll be stretching his head with three tenths.

00:45:18Okay, final sector for Antonelli.

00:45:20He is not on terms with Max Verstappen.

00:45:23The four-time champ finding a magic lap.

00:45:25And it's been Mercedes topping the timing page for every session so far.

00:45:30But Kimi Antonelli goes over the one.

00:45:31Oh, he finds something magic in the final sector.

00:45:35Fastest of anyone in that final sector.

00:45:38And on provisional pole by six hundredths.

00:45:40Russell responds.

00:45:41And it's a Mercedes one, two.

00:45:43But look at the margin of the top three.

00:45:45A man who has stood on the top step five times before taking the battle to the Mercedes pair.

00:45:52Six hundredths separating first to third.

00:45:55And this, we saw there, Hamilton getting pushed into the garage.

00:45:59Can I go for a second lap?

00:46:01Negative.

00:46:03Oh, he's supposed to have a, supposed to have a bank of fuel.

00:46:06Why?

00:46:08So, Hamilton wants a second lap.

00:46:11Saying they should have another lap of fuel on board for a just-in-case moment.

00:46:15And the just-in-case is this in hard.

00:46:17That's what I thought I saw Lando do as well at turn three.

00:46:20Just in a bit deep.

00:46:21That's obviously a bit worse there for Hamilton, who has plenty more cornering to do.

00:46:25And he'll never get out of that with any level of speed.

00:46:27So, he backs out of it.

00:46:29Asks for a second push.

00:46:30The team's saying no.

00:46:32It's one or nothing.

00:46:34And that one is nothing for Hamilton.

00:46:35So, that's exactly what I mean.

00:46:37No banker on the board for Lewis.

00:46:39So, how can you go and attack to 100% on this next lap?

00:46:43For a man that just won the last Grand Prix and brought himself into play.

00:46:47Hey, he knows how to take a pole position.

00:46:49He has done this many times in the past.

00:46:51But his job is that bit harder.

00:46:53Here's the next set of new tyres on Max as he leaves the pits.

00:46:57Ready to try and find just a little bit more as the truck grips up.

00:47:02Shuddering out of the pits.

00:47:04Verstappen been asking for changes all the way through the weekend.

00:47:07But we talk about this being the key moment.

00:47:09The moment to deliver.

00:47:11And we've got really interesting narratives as we go into the final part of qualifying.

00:47:17The driver second in the points battle needs a time.

00:47:20Or he's going to be in tenth for the Austrian Grand Prix.

00:47:23Big luck for Lewis Hamilton.

00:47:25This Ferrari have done the right thing getting him out first.

00:47:27He is under his own steam.

00:47:29And he's got a clear track ahead of him now to execute six more turns.

00:47:34And put this somewhere in the mix.

00:47:36And that is somewhere in the mix.

00:47:37That's a really good first sector for Lewis Hamilton.

00:47:39Let's see whether he can continue this.

00:47:41He hasn't been on pole position since 2023 for a Grand Prix.

00:47:46He's never done it with Ferrari.

00:47:49He is in superb form in 2026.

00:47:53Charles Leclerc good as well.

00:47:54Big improvements to be found in that first sector.

00:47:58But it is the middle part of the lap where Verstappen was so strong as well.

00:48:02Let's see what Hamilton can do.

00:48:04Two thirds of the lap.

00:48:05He's up by two tenths of a second.

00:48:07It's time to declare this anyone's game.

00:48:10Wow.

00:48:11Huge middle sector for Lewis Hamilton.

00:48:13He is right back in the mix.

00:48:16Two corners to go.

00:48:17The rim moving around a little bit.

00:48:19Using all of the road.

00:48:21He hasn't been on pole position since 2023 for a Grand Prix.

00:48:25And he's provisionally there at the moment.

00:48:27Charles Leclerc going even quicker.

00:48:29Norris is in the hunt as well.

00:48:31This is an amazing battle for pole position.

00:48:35Leclerc was at the front here for 2019.

00:48:39The man from Monaco across the line.

00:48:41And he goes to provisional pole.

00:48:43Russell beats their first sector.

00:48:45Verstappen's out there trying to improve again.

00:48:47And he does a mighty middle sector.

00:48:49It falls away for Norris.

00:48:51Max Verstappen is five thousandths of a second away from Charles Leclerc's benchmark in the middle part of the lap.

00:48:57McLaren fall away.

00:48:59What can Mercedes do?

00:49:00He loses it.

00:49:01Chasing pole.

00:49:02Max Verstappen into the gravel.

00:49:04And heavily into the wall.

00:49:06Chasing pole position.

00:49:07The yellow flag is out.

00:49:09And it's Ferrari one and two.

00:49:11Mercedes three and four.

00:49:13And that will be that.

00:49:15Antonelli was flying.

00:49:16Russell was flying.

00:49:17There will be no response.

00:49:19Getting it done immediately on the first run was crucial.

00:49:24Because moments like that happen so often.

00:49:27George Russell.

00:49:28George Russell goes to provisional pole.

00:49:32George Russell goes over the line.

00:49:33But the yellow flag was out.

00:49:35Well.

00:49:37Double yellow in the final sector.

00:49:39Was it a single yellow?

00:49:41Was it a double yellow?

00:49:42I am amazed that someone's managed to do a pole up.

00:49:45Past a stricken Red Bull at the final turn.

00:49:47Russell has done that.

00:49:49I said they were flying.

00:49:50Antonelli backed off it.

00:49:51He was closer to Verstappen.

00:49:53Russell has snuck in.

00:49:55And taken pole as Ferrari was celebrating it.

00:49:58That will be under review.

00:50:00Lifted entry at that corner.

00:50:02I lost a lot of time.

00:50:03I lifted.

00:50:04Big lift on the entry to the corner.

00:50:06George Russell claims he's backed off.

00:50:08Acknowledged the yellow flag.

00:50:10And still taken pole.

00:50:12To the dramatic moment that sent Max Verstappen from the brinker pole position to the wall at turn 9.

00:50:17Yeah, he's turned in.

00:50:19He's on for a pole shot as well.

00:50:21Turned in.

00:50:21He has the car roughly where he wants it.

00:50:24We just shot up on the front end.

00:50:25But.

00:50:27Yeah, I think maybe there's the downshift as well as he's turning in with a load of speed.

00:50:31And downshift just unsettles it that little bit.

00:50:34And that is Max spinning off into the barrier.

00:50:38And that's where he will stay out there.

00:50:40So you've got Antonelli backing off from a personal best first and second sector.

00:50:45Russell comes through and improves.

00:50:48We haven't seen the final sector.

00:50:50He hasn't beaten.

00:50:52He hasn't done the fastest final sector of anyone.

00:50:54He's arguing that he's lifted off.

00:50:55And the stewards will have a look.

00:50:57Well, that is the definition of controversial.

00:51:01Kimi Antonelli backs off.

00:51:03Let's go on board with George Russell.

00:51:05And look at the signals that he gets.

00:51:06Listen in.

00:51:13Right, honestly, he does back off quite a lot.

00:51:17It's obviously, he's very committed still.

00:51:18It's a pole lap, no less.

00:51:20And he's done pole by two tenths of a second.

00:51:22He clearly backs off from what he's previously done.

00:51:25It will depend if it's a double wave yellow or a single yellow.

00:51:29That's what it will all come down to there.

00:51:30If it's a double wave yellow, George will lose that time and probably more.

00:51:35That's why I said he was provisionally on pole.

00:51:37Even at the end, this is not an official result.

00:51:41It is entirely down.

00:51:42As Russell celebrates out of the car for whether the stewards believed that he drove to the letters of the

00:51:49rule book.

00:51:49Did he show enough caution under yellow flags with a car in the wall at turn nine?

00:51:55And it has been noted already.

00:51:58Ferrari will be straight on the radio.

00:52:01Great lap you have to say from George.

00:52:03With a compromise.

00:52:05It is still up for grabs.

00:52:11What an unusual situation.

00:52:13We talked about the importance of a foundation lap to give yourself the chance to attack.

00:52:17That's what Max Verstappen did.

00:52:18He's all in chasing an unlikely pole position there.

00:52:21Goes beyond the limit of the grip.

00:52:23At huge speed into turn nine.

00:52:26Hits the barrier.

00:52:27Antonelli backs off.

00:52:29Unable to improve.

00:52:30So his first effort currently putting him in fourth and staying there.

00:52:34And Russell, Jolien, has made a decision.

00:52:38He's made a real-time call to back off the throttle and risk a penalty.

00:52:44Remember what we've seen for ignoring double-waved yellows in the past.

00:52:47Could be a drop down to tenth if the stewards don't like what they've seen.

00:52:50A dramatic end to the third and final part of qualifying.

00:52:55Saw Max Verstappen into the wall.

00:52:57Championship leader Kimi Antonelli back off under yellow flags.

00:53:00It looked like Charles Leclerc taking his third Grand Prix pole around this circuit.

00:53:03But Russell improving at the last.

00:53:07Giancarlo Fisichella is speaking to the top three after qualifying.

00:53:13George, fantastic job.

00:53:15It was a great lap.

00:53:16It's still under investigation because of the yellow flag.

00:53:20How do you feel?

00:53:21I feel incredible.

00:53:23It was such an amazing lap.

00:53:24I saw the yellow.

00:53:25I had a big lift into the corner.

00:53:27I was five tenths up when I came out the last corner.

00:53:29Two and a half tenths up.

00:53:30So, you know, it was a single yellow as well, not a double.

00:53:35So it should be okay.

00:53:38It was a tough day, but it was so special to get that lap.

00:53:42And everything felt so sweet.

00:53:43So really proud of a job we all did.

00:53:46Great job.

00:53:48Charles?

00:53:51So let us know how was your lap, and especially in the last few Grand Prix, Ferrari made a huge

00:53:59step forward on the development.

00:54:02Are you happy with your lap and your position?

00:54:05Yeah, I'm relatively happy about today.

00:54:08Of course, the last few weekends have been quite tough.

00:54:10So I just wanted to have a clean weekend and most of all a clean qualifying to start well for

00:54:16tomorrow.

00:54:17So, yeah, to start second is a good place to start on.

00:54:22The team have been pushing massively in order to bring upgrades in Barcelona and again this weekend, and that pays

00:54:29off.

00:54:29If I'm completely honest, I didn't think we'll be starting on the front row until qualifying, really.

00:54:35So it's a good surprise, yeah, that we are so far up.

00:54:42Good job.

00:54:43Luis, you probably lost a good chance to improve your lap time because on the first push-out you break

00:54:58maybe too late.

00:54:59Do you think it was possible to be better than third?

00:55:03Yeah, well, firstly, thank you everyone for the good energy.

00:55:07No, I think it's, I mean, to have the two Ferraris in second and third, I think it's fantastic.

00:55:13And it's just a reflection of the amazing work that everyone's doing back at the factory because they really are

00:55:17continuing to push.

00:55:18We bought small bits here.

00:55:20Obviously, they worked hard to upgrade our engine for this track.

00:55:24So I'm just really proud of everybody because you could just see how hard everyone's working and it's really starting

00:55:30to pay off.

00:55:31I think my Q3, the weekend had been looking good in Q3 run one.

00:55:36I had my mistake and didn't get the first lap.

00:55:39So then, yeah, that always affects the second lap.

00:55:41But nonetheless, you know, even just to be still that close given that I didn't get the first lap, I'm

00:55:46really happy for that.

00:55:47Great.

00:55:47Good job.

00:55:49George, back to you.

00:55:50It's going to be very hot.

00:55:54How do you manage for tomorrow, for the race?

00:55:59Yeah, it's going to be very hot.

00:56:01You know, the Ferraris are looking incredibly fast.

00:56:03You know, in the corners, they're the fastest team at the moment.

00:56:06They're maybe a bit more draggy than us, which may help us to defend.

00:56:11I just spoke with Toto.

00:56:12He just said everything was fine with the yellow flag.

00:56:14So that is good news.

00:56:15100-meter lift before the corner.

00:56:17So glad to hear that.

00:56:19And, yeah, tomorrow is going to be a big fight.

00:56:23Obviously, Kimi and P4 is going to be super fast as well.

00:56:25We know how strong he's been.

00:56:27And Lando and the McLarens.

00:56:29So it's game on from everyone.

00:56:32It's going to be an interesting race to follow.

00:56:34Good luck.

00:56:36Thank you, everyone.

00:56:38Now we can say for certain it's George Russell on pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix.

00:56:44His fourth pole of the campaign to tie his teammates' tally.

00:56:49And knowing the rule book off by heart gives George Russell a lift and a pole position and a buffer

00:56:56between Leclerc, Hamilton and his teammate, Kimi Antonelli.

00:57:02Isn't it amazing how much drama Formula One can squeeze into milliseconds?

00:57:08What a session.

00:57:10George Russell there playing 4D chess with a race car.

00:57:14Let's take a quick one.

00:57:16We'll get Mark and DC's thoughts on all the drama.

00:57:18And we'll talk to a close but no cigar Fred Vasseur.

00:57:38Welcome back to Austria where we've just had a frankly awesome qualifying session.

00:57:43George Russell took pole, Charles Leclerc second, Hamilton third, Kimi Antonelli fourth.

00:57:48We also had a dramatic crash for Max Verstappen.

00:57:50But let's start with George Russell for a moment, DC.

00:57:54My mind is blown to have the wherewithal, the presence of mind to execute a pole lap in amongst a

00:57:59yellow flag.

00:58:00How the hell did he do that?

00:58:02Well, I think it's a factor of the modern Formula One where he'd obviously delivered really good first and second

00:58:09sectors.

00:58:09But by lifting out at high speed in that yellow flag zone, you harvest, you put more energy in the

00:58:15battery.

00:58:16And then when he's gone through that final corner, he's seen that magical green board flashing, saying track is clear.

00:58:22And then he's just at full deployment to the line.

00:58:24Doesn't take anything away from the rest of the lap.

00:58:27And from where he came from, absolutely brilliant comeback.

00:58:30Unbelievable.

00:58:30Let's take a look at that moment.

00:58:32Mark, can you put us in the cockpit?

00:58:33What's going through George's mind as he's hurtling into this corner?

00:58:36Yeah, well, as DC said, he's on an absolute phenomenal lap to this point.

00:58:40Left-hand side, look at the flashing panel.

00:58:42Feathers the throttle there early.

00:58:43Earlier than he would have liked.

00:58:44But he knows he can actually harvest a bit there.

00:58:46Very, very clever to be inside the regulation.

00:58:50Deploys to the line and actually just moved the battery energy around the lap by actually staying within the regulation.

00:58:56He knew Max didn't know which car it was, but he knew there was a hazard there.

00:58:59Went through the entry a bit slower than he would have done, but he probably.

00:59:01And then when he saw that green flag on the outside, it came back on.

00:59:04That's just unbelievable.

00:59:04And this is a moment for George Russell.

00:59:07He's starting on pole.

00:59:08Kimi Antonelli, fourth.

00:59:09This is a big opportunity, George.

00:59:11It is.

00:59:12And, mate, this is a really tricky first lap to beat.

00:59:15The run to three, the down to four.

00:59:17So he's, yeah, if he can convert it, big day for him.

00:59:20Let's take a look at that Max Verstappen crash.

00:59:21DC, can you take us to what happened here?

00:59:23A very rare crash, you have to say.

00:59:25This was shocking.

00:59:26Yeah, it was.

00:59:26Second last corner.

00:59:27We've seen him use more and more of the carib on entry to try and get a better angle through

00:59:31the turn.

00:59:31And as he's turned in, you can see rear end has said, no way, Jose.

00:59:36Just watch the curb on the left-hand side.

00:59:39As he turned in, very high-speed entry.

00:59:42Rear grip just wasn't there.

00:59:43And that was when we took it to the barrier.

00:59:45Very happy.

00:59:46It was basically all in.

00:59:47He was either going to be in pole or he was going to be in the barrier.

00:59:50And, well, we have an answer.

00:59:51I was going to say, I'm very happy that barrier was that far away at that speed.

00:59:54Mark, at that point, we thought Ferrari nailed it.

00:59:57Charles Leclerc was in pole.

00:59:58Hamilton second.

00:59:59Didn't turn out that way.

01:00:00Obviously, George pulled off that miracle lap.

01:00:02But still, very good day for Ferrari.

01:00:04Absolutely.

01:00:05There will be some relief there because Charles has been struggling on Saturday afternoons, mate.

01:00:09He really has.

01:00:10He's been on the ropes, hasn't he?

01:00:11And that's been his signature punch, mate, Saturday afternoon.

01:00:13So he's really, that was a big lap from him, big laps from him.

01:00:16And Lewis was nowhere after the first set.

01:00:18So he then converted that only set that he had to bang it on the front row up until that

01:00:22time.

01:00:23So big day for them, mate.

01:00:25And, you know, mate, they're starting to show now that they're here.

01:00:29The red cars are here.

01:00:30There was that snafu with Hamilton up at T3, DC.

01:00:34What was that about?

01:00:35Well, that was the first run, which we'd normally see as a sort of banker lap.

01:00:38But you want to really explore where the car can deliver its lap time.

01:00:41But as he's carried the speed into the braking zone, no visible signs of lockups as we join him on

01:00:46board here.

01:00:47But just can't get the car slowed down to the apex, right up there on the yellow sausage curb.

01:00:53He was on the radio going, look, guys, I want to go again.

01:00:55They're like, you don't have fuel, son.

01:00:57You need to come back to the pits.

01:00:58A lot of pressure.

01:00:59But, you know, he's quality.

01:01:01We knew he could handle that.

01:01:02And that was a matey comeback for that final lap.

01:01:04Let's have a line on McLaren.

01:01:06Mark Norris starts sixth.

01:01:07Oscar Piastri seventh tomorrow.

01:01:09Decent day for them?

01:01:10Yeah, look, it's a tight lap time here.

01:01:12A tenth and a half off.

01:01:13Nothing between them.

01:01:14Pretty much the same lap time.

01:01:15But, yeah, they're deep.

01:01:17You know, well, they're further back than they'd like to be.

01:01:19Yeah, yeah.

01:01:20So, you know, they've got to try and do something in the race.

01:01:22Whether they can conjure up some special tyre strategy tomorrow.

01:01:24That's going to be their goal.

01:01:26Excellent.

01:01:26We shall see.

01:01:27Right now, though, let's have a look at some more drivers, shall we?

01:01:30I don't know why, but I thought it was a double yellow.

01:01:34So, just, yeah, I aborted completely and missed the front row.

01:01:40It's definitely an opportunity.

01:01:42Obviously, it helps, obviously, having two cars together as well.

01:01:44And hopefully we can use that tomorrow.

01:01:47But, yeah, I'm sure it's going to be a long race and there's temperature as well.

01:01:51It's very, very hot.

01:01:52So, yeah, for us driving the cars but also on size, it's going to be a tricky race.

01:01:58Just not quick enough for us, unfortunately.

01:02:03You know, I think the whole weekend has been, I think, half a tenth at most between the two of

01:02:08us.

01:02:08So, I feel like we're probably getting the most out of things.

01:02:11The last lap was a little bit messy in a few places but, yeah, we didn't have enough to go

01:02:18and challenge George today.

01:02:19So, a little bit frustrating.

01:02:21We seemed like we were really competitive yesterday and even at the start of a lot of the Q1, Q2.

01:02:27So, just missing that last little bit.

01:02:30I mean, the lap was unbelievable.

01:02:32I don't know where it came from.

01:02:34I went around the first corner, tenth and a half up, second, third corner, tenth and a half further, fourth

01:02:40corner, then I was four and a half tenths up, five tenths, five and a half tenths up.

01:02:45And then I saw the yellow, the single yellow.

01:02:47I was like, ah, geez.

01:02:48So, I had a big lift off, got to the middle of the corner.

01:02:50I saw the green flag.

01:02:52I didn't see any, I didn't even see any car.

01:02:54It was so far off.

01:02:56Lost a lot of laps.

01:02:57I would have loved to have completed the lap because I think I would have been another three or four

01:03:01tenths ahead.

01:03:01It was just one of those laps where it just is on rails.

01:03:06I mean, just that lap already in turn six on the entry, big moment.

01:03:11So, that was a bit weird because the whole weekend I've never had something like that.

01:03:16And then I arrived to turn nine, I turned in and immediately gone.

01:03:19So, it was not even a small correction, it was just merely full lock off.

01:03:22So, that's a bit odd, but we'll have a look.

01:03:26It's a shame.

01:03:27I think realistically we could have been P3.

01:03:30So, it's a little bit better than P5.

01:03:33But I can tell you also realistically, I think even if it would have been P3, coming off the line

01:03:38is hard for us.

01:03:38So, you probably drop back to P5.

01:03:42But that's what it is at the moment.

01:03:44That was a good qualifying from us.

01:03:45I think P6, P7.

01:03:47In terms of position, obviously, it's not where we want to be.

01:03:49But I think our laps were very close.

01:03:51We probably feel like we got a lot out of the car today.

01:03:54And it's just where we realistically are.

01:03:56So, of course, you maybe expect a little bit more and it was so close to the cars ahead.

01:04:02It's easy to say more was possible.

01:04:04But I'm sure if you ask them, they will say the same thing.

01:04:08Well, those were some of the drivers.

01:04:10And now we're joined by team principal Fred Vassar.

01:04:12Fred, for a moment there, we saw that it looked like you had that pole position.

01:04:17We saw people getting quite excited.

01:04:18How gutting was it to see George Russell's name?

01:04:20First, the team was happy to do P2P3.

01:04:24I think it's a good quality, probably your best quality from the season.

01:04:27And we enjoyed this.

01:04:29Now, the story of George, I think it's another story that you can discuss at length about the single yellow,

01:04:36double yellow.

01:04:37If he slowed down by 5% as the guidelines he are asking to do.

01:04:43I don't know.

01:04:44I don't have the data.

01:04:45Rest Control, they have the data.

01:04:47I think they checked that he slowed down by 5%.

01:04:52That's life.

01:04:53That's life.

01:04:53Okay.

01:04:54And in terms of the result today, though, as you said, it's a positive result.

01:04:57It seems like the team are definitely riding on some momentum and have taken a step forward.

01:05:01Yeah, it's our best quality from the beginning of the season.

01:05:04That Charlie's back.

01:05:05That we have tons of positive on today.

01:05:08That we struggled a lot yesterday.

01:05:10That Friday was tough.

01:05:12That we brought a lot of parts for this one and for the next one.

01:05:15That we tested yesterday.

01:05:17And probably that we are a bit lost in FP2.

01:05:21But thanks to the job done in Maranello and on track that we were able to catch up and to

01:05:25come back into the pace.

01:05:26It was mega tight between everybody.

01:05:28But congratulations.

01:05:31How much of a difference do you feel those upgrades that you brought this weekend have made?

01:05:35Has it been significant?

01:05:37Or you're pulling that face, Fred?

01:05:39No.

01:05:40On the engine, the process is mega long.

01:05:42It means that if you want to recover, it takes months.

01:05:45We brought something this weekend.

01:05:46But almost marginal.

01:05:49If we turn our attention to tomorrow now.

01:05:51You've got both drivers up there.

01:05:52George at the front.

01:05:53What is possible tomorrow?

01:05:55What's the potential, do you think?

01:05:57What is possible?

01:05:58The grid is the same as last week when you had a Mercedes, a Ferrari.

01:06:02Then it will be a lot about management.

01:06:05That it will be very hot tomorrow.

01:06:07It will be the degradation.

01:06:09And to be in clean air, to be clean with the tyres will be key for the results.

01:06:14And we haven't spoken to you since Luis's win in Barcelona.

01:06:17What is the atmosphere like after that?

01:06:19Is Luis still on a high?

01:06:21Yeah, sure.

01:06:22That it's a good quality for Luis also today.

01:06:25He did a very good weekend.

01:06:26Very consistent from the beginning.

01:06:29And the mood is positive.

01:06:30But I think quite soon after Barcelona, we are focused on Spielberg and not on the party.

01:06:37Absolutely.

01:06:38I wouldn't expect anything less, Fred.

01:06:39Thank you for joining us to chat.

01:06:41Good luck tomorrow.

01:06:41Right, let's head over now to Alex with the grid.

01:06:45George Russell takes his fourth pole position of the season after lifting for a single-waved yellow flag when others

01:06:52backed off.

01:06:53Charles Leclerc will join him on the front row.

01:06:55Lewis Hamilton in third.

01:06:56Kimi Antonelli did lift.

01:06:57He regretted it.

01:06:58Max Verstappen all in for pole position, found the barriers and will start P5.

01:07:02The top ten completed by Norris Piastri, Hadjar Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.

01:07:07Pierre Gasly was four hundredths of a second away from knocking out Max Verstappen.

01:07:11He is ahead of Bortoleto, Behrman, Hülkenberg and Ocon.

01:07:15Franco Colopinto is 16th and knocked out in the first part of qualifying with Sainz, Alben, Perez, Bottas.

01:07:21And at the back, Alonso ahead of Stroll to complete the 22.

01:07:29Thanks very much, Alex.

01:07:30DC, I don't want to continue to heap pressure on George Russell's shoulders, but once again, such a big opportunity

01:07:38for him.

01:07:38He's having a difficult season.

01:07:40Antonelli has been owning him out there on the track.

01:07:42And he starts tomorrow, you know, three places up the road.

01:07:45This is such an opportunity for him.

01:07:47I think it's a stunning comeback.

01:07:49Yeah.

01:07:49It really looked like all weekend he's been slightly on the ropes, not quite, you know, his chin's down.

01:07:55All the sort of body language and the vocal language, the actual language to the team was, oh, this isn't

01:08:01working.

01:08:02It's the same as practice.

01:08:03Wow.

01:08:04Wow.

01:08:05Has he dug deep and shown, as Mark would say, shown George's minerals away.

01:08:09Yeah.

01:08:10So it's super impressive.

01:08:11It was half a second up before that yellow flag started flashing, Mark.

01:08:15Yeah.

01:08:15And that's what sometimes we see with these cars, these regulations, don't it?

01:08:18It's just like the lap from, I think that's the biggest evolution we've seen in qualifying throughout the year in

01:08:22terms of Q1 to Q2 to Q3.

01:08:25So it was a monstrous lap, mate.

01:08:27But Lewis, Lewis tomorrow, mate.

01:08:29Well, don't underestimate him, mate.

01:08:31I know your voice is all about George, mate.

01:08:33It's all good.

01:08:35There's another man in the fight, too, son.

01:08:37Absolutely.

01:08:37But my worry for George isn't just the fact that he needs to keep Kimmy in his rear views.

01:08:42But how is he going to keep those two Ferraris a bit?

01:08:43I mean, they're going to gang up on him.

01:08:45They're going to plant something, aren't they?

01:08:47Yeah, they've got double the strategy, haven't they?

01:08:49You know, undercut will be powerful here, given the tyre wear, the temperature.

01:08:52It could be in a situation where they have to go and try and cover whichever one of those guys

01:08:57blinks first.

01:08:57Reliability, we know, has been in Achilles heel of Mercedes.

01:09:00So maybe they'll be tuning it down.

01:09:02When it comes to that reliability, is that a heat thing?

01:09:04Because it will be 1,000 degrees tomorrow.

01:09:07Well, if it is a heat thing, it will blow up in the grid before the race starts.

01:09:10That's how hot it's going to be.

01:09:11I think it's, look, it's just marginal on something.

01:09:15Max Verstappen in fifth.

01:09:16I mean, never say never when it comes to the lion.

01:09:18Yeah, that's right.

01:09:19But I think we've seen today what he's been trying to do to stay in the fight.

01:09:23And there's just, of course, there's no margin for any of these guys in qualifying.

01:09:27But he was over the limit today.

01:09:28And to do that for every single lap tomorrow, I think it's just going to be to fight for the

01:09:32win in a straight fight.

01:09:33He can pick up some stuff and he'll always be there for opportunities.

01:09:35But to take it to those guys tomorrow in a straight fight, there's going to be a stretch for him.

01:09:39And just to add on that, I don't think they've got spare parts.

01:09:42They only brought two sets of the new upgrade.

01:09:45One's on Hadja's car.

01:09:46And that's now, that's in Park Fermi.

01:09:48So I think they will not be able to rebuild it.

01:09:50Both sides of that car had an absolute hammering.

01:09:53Not as bad as it, yeah, you're right, mate.

01:09:55The floor, I think that leading edge of the floor, which talks to the rest of the body work,

01:09:58I think the floor is probably looking a bit secondhand.

01:10:00Well, we do very much hope he can rest because we love to see Max in action.

01:10:04Okay, tomorrow is going to be a hell of a rest.

01:10:06You can watch the whole thing live on Sky Sports F1.

01:10:08Or you can join us right here on Channel 4.

01:10:10Certainly hope to see you then.

01:10:11Take care.

01:10:11Bye-bye.

01:10:12This is an amazing battle for pole position.

01:10:17Max has tapped it into the wall.

01:10:18Russell goes over the line, but the yellow flag was out.

01:10:23We can say for certain, it's Russell on pole position.

01:10:27It's the first!

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