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00:02МУЗЫКАЛЬНАЯ ЗАСТАВКА
00:41Well, we kicked off the weekend, as ever,
00:43with the one and only practice session for the Formula 3 drivers.
00:49The longest challenge on the Formula 3 calendar
00:52and 45 minutes to get back up to speed.
00:56This circuit providing some of the most unique challenges
00:59they will face, and we saw plenty of drivers
01:03getting themselves up to speed,
01:05one of them being Freddie Slater,
01:07who would go and set the quickest time.
01:08It was a bit of a qualifying run towards the end
01:12where drivers just betting themselves in
01:14for what is to come in this session.
01:17For Freddie Slater, it would be who would go fastest,
01:20just like he was back at Silverstone.
01:23Well, we're into the second half of the season now,
01:26this round six, but unlike earlier,
01:29we have umbrellas up around the circuit,
01:32and it is a wet track.
01:34We are being reported.
01:37The train is around.
01:39The train is even more important to get it out on this last run.
01:44Well, yes, we can see umbrellas going up.
01:46And, Chris, moments before the session started,
01:49we had a shot just before the titles rolled in
01:51of the Vista over the La Source F in the paddock.
01:55There's a big temperature board.
01:57It says 23 degrees,
01:58which our American viewers will know is 73 degrees.
02:00And I was going to start this by saying 73 degrees,
02:03zero chance of rain, as James Blunt once said.
02:05But no, 70% chance of rain, apparently.
02:07And the rain is already falling,
02:09which is why we have every single F3 car in the pit lane,
02:12because every moment that rain falls,
02:14the track gets slower if it continues.
02:17Let's quickly bring you up to speed of where we are
02:19in terms of the championship standings.
02:22It's Ugo Ugachuku who leads on 104 points,
02:2686 points, then it is Freddy Slater.
02:28Teofil Nal is on 60,
02:30so the top two just starting to escape.
02:33Then Noah Stromstead next,
02:34Bruno D'Alpino fifth,
02:35Mace Gwadish climbed 10 places after his win
02:38from 16th to 6th.
02:40And it's Brando Baddoware, Pedro Clero,
02:42Hiyu Yamakoshi and Taito Kato.
02:44And two points are up for grabs in this qualifying session.
02:47What will the approach be like
02:48now the rain is starting to fall, Piers?
02:51Well, normally we see in a dry qualifying session
02:53around Spa two warm-up laps on the tyres,
02:56but I expect us to see in this first run at least
02:59people going flat out from the first time past the pits
03:02because if the rain starts to fall heavy,
03:04then basically it will be the first one over the line
03:06with a flying lap that's decent
03:08will be the one that's potentially on pole
03:10if the rain doesn't subside.
03:11So we haven't got a chance to warm into this one, Chris.
03:13If you're watching at home,
03:14then keep your eyes peeled
03:15because any lap during this session
03:17could be the fastest lap as the rain falls
03:20and then falls away and then falls.
03:21But again, we know in the Ardennes forest
03:23that we are here in Spa-Francorchamps
03:25that the rain is unpredictable.
03:26We've had similar situations like this
03:29in Formula 3 qualifying here at Spa
03:32and the race is on to go and get a lap in.
03:35They are preparing the wet tyres
03:37because if it keeps going on like this,
03:39we could have essentially a 20-minute test session
03:42out there in the way.
03:43It's all going to be about getting this first lap in.
03:46We were seeing a lot of track limit violations
03:49throughout free practice.
03:50We cannot see any of those now
03:52in this qualifying session.
03:53It's absolutely crucial they get a banker lap in.
03:55Yeah, I was watching the F2 practice
03:58when you were commentating, Chris.
04:00Interestingly, most of the track limit violations
04:02in F2 were at the last corner turn 19.
04:07Whereas in F3 last year in qualifying,
04:09we saw most of the track limit violations
04:10through the middle of Poo-On,
04:11the double left-hander in the middle of the circuit.
04:14But the circuit conditions will be tricky for the drivers.
04:17Slightly greasy, different to earlier.
04:18And let's not forget,
04:19they've also gone from the hard tyre room practice
04:20to the medium tyre now in qualifying.
04:23So a completely different set of circumstances
04:25as the Premers are the first over the line.
04:27They were at the front of the queue in the pit lane.
04:29They've got the first bash at a qualifying lap,
04:31but I think they're going to be hitting it hard straight away.
04:33It looks like they are.
04:34Here we go then, in towards La Source.
04:36We are going to be sector watching for you throughout.
04:38For reference, the pole time last year
04:40was a 2.04.253 by Brad Benavides for AIX Racing.
04:46Brad Benavides currently injured.
04:48Ricardo Escoto has taken his seat.
04:50Five different teams have taken the last five poles.
04:53Will Prima Racing be able to go out there
04:55and take a second pole around this circuit?
04:58Louis Sharp heading down the camel straight now
05:00where the umbrellas are up.
05:01And you can see the rain fall.
05:03Look at the trees in the background.
05:04It looks like it's getting heavier and heavier
05:05by the second.
05:07Sharp initially fast as first over the line,
05:09but already been beaten by a teammate of Garf Fias.
05:12Garf Fias actually nearly three or four tenths faster.
05:15Both of his teammates.
05:16You can see Sharp pushing on heavily.
05:18And this is very much a voyage into the unknown.
05:20As I mentioned, circuit conditions changing.
05:22Rain falling, different ties.
05:24The rain's falling heavier and heavier by the second.
05:26We could well be looking at our pole-sitting drivers
05:29at the front here
05:29because these Prima's have got the pound seat at the moment.
05:32Yep, some drivers yet to even begin their first flying lap
05:36or go through the first sector.
05:37So Prima have got to take advantage of this situation.
05:41Tuka Tapanen has now just set a purple first sector.
05:45The times are going to come in thick and fast.
05:47And this could be the one and only chance
05:49they get to take pole position
05:51as we watch Louis Sharp now heading to Stavola.
05:54Chris, I did so much research looking at the qualifying sessions
05:58in the last few years.
05:59But all of that's gone out the window
06:00because this is a completely different set of circumstances.
06:03Now it's Sharp that's fast to his Prima teammates
06:06in the middle sector.
06:07Although that's now been picked by Tapanen.
06:10No, sorry, that's Claro in the road in,
06:12who's a bit further back down the order.
06:13Let's watch him come through the final sector.
06:15Tuka Tapanen is six tenths faster
06:17than some of the drivers out there
06:19through the first sector alone.
06:20He's half a second quicker than Louis Sharp.
06:23He is certainly the one to watch.
06:25Here comes Sharp into the bus stop chicane now.
06:28And we've got Wharton and Garfield.
06:30It's lined up behind.
06:31We're getting ready for this purple sector
06:34to come in through sector three.
06:36And it is Louis Sharp who goes quickest,
06:38but he's immediately beaten by James Wharton.
06:41Then it's Jose Garfield.
06:42Pedro Claro now goes fastest
06:43as we pick up Tuka Tapanen.
06:45So quick through the first sector.
06:47Is he able to convert that
06:48as he comes in through the final corner now?
06:51Yeah, let's watch Tapanen through the bus stop.
06:52Looks pretty neat.
06:53But here Yamakoshi was purple in the middle,
06:55but it's just been picked by Freddy Slater,
06:57the driver that was fastest in practice this morning.
06:59Tapanen initially to the top.
07:01Terfield Nile, four-time pole sister.
07:02Can he get five?
07:03Here he comes up to the line now.
07:05Terfield Nile, fourth place it is.
07:07Ugachuku in the white campus.
07:09We wait to see him across the line.
07:10Next championship leader, fifth.
07:12And Freddy Slater in the toe behind his championship rival.
07:16Goes quickest overall with a 205.1 ahead of Tapanen,
07:20Yamakoshi Rivera and Kornagi.
07:22We're still waiting to see some drivers across the line.
07:25Jin Nakamura has just gone 11.
07:26Yeah, these corner track temperatures
07:28with a rain track temperature 33 degrees,
07:30pretty much exactly the same track temperature
07:33as last year's qualifying session, which was 30.
07:35But, of course, the added variable of a bit of water,
07:38meaning that these tyres might be okay for two flying laps, Chris.
07:41So we'll see them go again
07:43because with all 30 of these F3 cars going around,
07:46they may well keep this racing line driving.
07:48It looks like the rain's falling heavier still.
07:51Yeah, it really is.
07:52It was that four wheels over the white line.
07:54I wonder from Pedro Claro.
07:55It was certainly on the limit.
07:57Tapanen once again has gone fastest through the first sector, 36.6.
08:02Most drivers in the 37s as we jump on board with Pedro Claro.
08:06Let's get a taste of what it's like to smash around
08:08the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in slick tyres and tricky conditions.
08:12Pedro Claro absolutely on the ragged edge of Griffiths.
08:15You've got confirmation on the right-hand side
08:17from the team radio transcription from Finn McLaughlin
08:21saying that circuit conditions are tricky.
08:23This bit will be fairly easily flat out, this left kink here.
08:26Will he go flat out through Branchimont?
08:27Absolutely he will.
08:28Here we go, completely flat out, even with the rain falling.
08:31Reminder, no windscreen wipers.
08:33The rain will be hitting the visor of the drivers,
08:35taking confidence away from them,
08:36braking hard down into the bus stop.
08:38We've got one more corner to go.
08:40You can hear wheels spin through the middle.
08:42The drivers struggling to get these Pirelli tyres
08:44to grip to the circuit.
08:45What's this time?
08:46Up to the line he goes.
08:47It's P6 for Pedro Claro.
08:49Badouair, his teammate, going to seventh.
08:51We've got De Ligny and Del Pino have had lap times deleted,
08:55so currently they're at the back.
08:56De Ligny now makes his way up to 25th,
08:59and Del Pino goes to 20th.
09:01Taito Carto, top 10 for him.
09:03Remember, the top 12 reverse for the sprint race tomorrow,
09:06so Louis Sharp currently just missing out
09:09on a front row start for that sprint race.
09:11Do you know what?
09:11I'm really impressed, considering the rain out on circuit.
09:13We're actually faster at this stage of the qualifying session
09:16than we were at this stage last year.
09:18Faster the first runs last year was a 2.05.5 from Rafa Camera,
09:22and we're already at 2.05.1, so clearly,
09:25even though there's spots of rain on circuit,
09:27it's not affecting the grip a huge amount.
09:29Let's watch Red Bull Junior, Finn McLaughlin,
09:31whoa, through Jackie X Corner.
09:33Running wide, and that was a good save on the high-tech drive.
09:37Yeah, that was wider than you would want to go.
09:39That won't have been conducive to a good middle sector
09:41from Finn McLaughlin there.
09:43Unfortunately, he continues to push on.
09:45One of the only drivers that's making his debut racing
09:47this weekend, isn't it, Chris?
09:48Oh, wow, the only driver.
09:51Now, what's gone on here?
09:53So I'm guessing drivers slowing up
09:54to try and find themselves a tow,
09:56and everyone's done the exact same strategy,
09:58and now there's absolutely no space to go.
10:00If you're on a flying lap, you are going to have to abort it.
10:03We saw some of this tomfoolery last year.
10:06We saw some of this tomfoolery in practice as well.
10:09I'm a bit confused as to why we've still got this going on,
10:12because last year, pole position was set by Bad Benavidez.
10:15Fairly on his own.
10:16We also had, in the middle of the session,
10:17one of the VARs, I think it was Teoflong Nile,
10:21actually went fast in the middle of the sector,
10:22completely on his own.
10:23And then this morning, Freddie Slater set his fastest time
10:25on his own.
10:26So, yes, you can potentially get a bit of an extra
10:29straight-line speed boost from a tow,
10:31but the variables you're introducing
10:33by just being in a big pack of cars,
10:35I would say risk versus reward potentially not there.
10:38Look at this, all the while the rain still falls.
10:41Yeah, surely you want to keep heat through the tyres here,
10:44keep going.
10:45And not only that, but the longer we leave it,
10:48the more wet the circuit's going to get.
10:50So I'm surprised they're not in a rush to get round
10:53and start another lap or rush back round to the pit lane.
10:56Is this a case now that the teams are basically given order
11:00to do another flying lap?
11:02It's going to be Hiyu Yamakoshi leading the way
11:05out of Stavolo now.
11:07It's either going to be that
11:09or they're going to be heading back to the pits.
11:11But this tells me that they're going to go
11:13for another flying lap
11:14and everyone wants to be in the best possible position.
11:16I'm intrigued, actually.
11:17I don't know whether I'm reading too much into this,
11:19but Hiyu Yamakoshi currently sits third overall.
11:22He was at the front of that group, wasn't he,
11:24that was all backed up.
11:25Now, with Hiyu, we will see that the rain is still falling.
11:28Did he maybe back off to cause that issue
11:30so that no one can go fast in his next lap?
11:32Or is that too meta?
11:34I think the latter.
11:36But we can see, look at Finn McLaughlin.
11:38Whoa, diving down the inside there.
11:42And Finn McLaughlin is going to come into the pit lane.
11:46So we've got a difference of strategies here.
11:48So that's why he was in a rush there,
11:50trying to make places.
11:51Needs to get back to the pits.
11:53Everyone else is going to go for another flying lap.
11:55Usually we don't see this many flying laps
11:57in a qualifying session.
11:59No, we don't normally because they're normally saving
12:01their brand new medium tyres for the race.
12:04They want to do as few laps on them as possible.
12:06But I'm interested in all those drivers
12:08that were going slowly in that final sector.
12:10There was a very clear instruction
12:11from the race director Simon Ganano-Pragas
12:13and both in the race director briefing
12:15and also the race director's notes
12:17that drivers in qualifying
12:20after the apex of Planchemont on the racing line
12:22must be at racing speed.
12:24So I think there'll be some investigations after the session.
12:27We may well have a very provisional result
12:28as he jumped back on board with Pedro Claro now
12:31as he hustles on to try and improve his time.
12:34Claro currently sitting 7th place,
12:366 tenths of our fastest lap of the session.
12:38You can see fighting the rear of the car through Maladie.
12:41Yeah, and it looks like it was Kornagi,
12:43the Red Bull junior, that came in.
12:45Claro now just heading down through Brussels
12:48and up to Jackie Hicks' corner
12:50and the conditions really starting to worsen now.
12:53No one really improving that much.
12:56I say that Taito Kato's done a 36.9,
12:58which is a very good first sector,
13:00but it seems to be getting more and more difficult out there.
13:03Yeah, look, you can see every wag of the wheel,
13:05every turn away from the corner that Claro does
13:07is those rear tyres saying,
13:09no, you've committed to the corner more than I can handle.
13:12Again, missing the apex through the first part of the Fania chicane,
13:15goes through the left and then again right out to the track limits.
13:18We are seeing some improvements,
13:20so somehow these medium Pirelli tyres
13:23still hanging on a little bit.
13:25Looks like that this third flying lap,
13:28the drivers are maybe able to improve on a long run
13:30up Kemal towards Lecombe,
13:32but they're not able to continue that pace
13:34through the middle sector
13:35where the tyres are starting to fall away.
13:37Yeah, 1.8 off Freddie Slater
13:39through the first two sectors.
13:41No one improving.
13:42The conditions getting worse,
13:44so I think it's going to be heading to pit lane
13:46for all the drivers out there now.
13:48They will be potentially committed to another flying lap.
13:52This is why they will continue on,
13:53even though they knew they may not improve,
13:54because there's no refuelling in this session.
13:57Yeah.
13:57So the mechanics and engineers and teams
14:00will have fuelled the cars for a certain number of laps
14:02and if you come in early and don't do that lap,
14:04you're then carrying an extra lap's worth of fuel
14:06for later in the session when it might count,
14:09which is extra weight above the minimum weight limit,
14:11which is not exactly going to help
14:13your overall position at the end of the session.
14:16Yeah, no, I think that's a very good observation.
14:18You want to be taking fuel out of the car,
14:20especially on a circuit like this,
14:22where there's that huge run from La Source
14:24all the way to Lecombe.
14:25OK, let's go through the order,
14:27how we stand so far.
14:29Now, Freddy Slater, two and a half tenths clear
14:31from Tuka Tappanen.
14:33Hiyu Yamakoshi is there.
14:35So three different teams in the top three.
14:37Then Noah Stromstad, Ernesto Rivera,
14:38once again doing well.
14:40Mateo Kilnaghi, who we haven't seen in the points
14:42since the CP6.
14:43Then Pedro Clero, Brando Baddewaer,
14:45Ugo Ugochiku, ninth.
14:48So in terms of the championship,
14:50this is looking very good for Freddy Slater.
14:53He's currently 18 points behind Ugochiku.
14:55Right now, Ugochiku will be ninth place on the grid,
14:59but will be towards the front for the sprint race.
15:01Likewise, Teofil Nile,
15:03our front row for the sprint race as it stands
15:05is Taito Kato and Jin Nakamura.
15:08If you see anyone doing some strange bodily movements
15:12around Freddy Slater's car,
15:14that will almost certainly be a raindance,
15:15because things, as you mentioned, Chris,
15:17would look very good in the Slater camp
15:18if things were stopped.
15:20If they stopped the count now,
15:21then that would be ideal.
15:23But it looks like we're going to get going again.
15:25Looks like the rain actually,
15:26literally not falling as heavy as it once was,
15:30which means the circuit should come towards us.
15:32Fastest time, a reminder, 2.05.1.
15:34This stays last year, 2.05.5.
15:36So despite, as I mentioned,
15:38the changeable conditions,
15:40teams and drivers still able
15:42to find time out on circuit.
15:45Here's Maciej Gwadish into the chicaner.
15:47This is going to be,
15:48to start this flying lap, is it?
15:50Whoa.
15:50Bosh.
15:51Yeah.
15:52Curb.
15:53One for the cameras.
15:54One nil, Maciej, to the curb.
15:59Now, have ART, I'll go, shall I?
16:03Have ART gone out in the gap here
16:05to try and avoid what we saw
16:07just before they all came into the pit lane, I wonder?
16:10Potentially.
16:11I didn't see whether they came in and changed tyres
16:12or whether they've gone long,
16:13but VAR last year ran in the gap,
16:15all three of their drivers,
16:16and in the mid part of the session,
16:17it allowed Teofil Nile
16:20to take provisional pole with the clear air.
16:23It would be a risky, risky one, I think,
16:26to do that in this session
16:27because assuming the rain has now stopped,
16:30the session is only going to get faster
16:32and faster as the grip comes up,
16:34the rubber goes down,
16:35the drivers get more dialed in,
16:37the fuel gets burnt off,
16:38and also the circuit gets dried out a little bit as well.
16:42Well, whilst we have a little bit of a gap,
16:45let's go to Freddie Slater,
16:47currently fastest,
16:48talking about how consistency is so important
16:51in this very competitive 4-3 championship.
16:57I think to be baffling so many second-year drivers,
17:00you know, the guys at the front,
17:01Campos, loads of other drivers,
17:03you know, Campos have come out really strong this year,
17:05as you can see,
17:06and I think we've done a really good job,
17:08you know, we've had five podiums in five weekends,
17:09and I think as a rookie,
17:10that's really special.
17:12And now we've just got to keep it up,
17:13you know, we've got two more races,
17:14which one is summer break,
17:15then we've got Monza,
17:16which is always crazy,
17:17and then we've got Madrid,
17:18which is a completely different format now,
17:20and also a completely new track,
17:22so there's a lot to look forward to.
17:25Only Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwu
17:27have been in the top 12 positions
17:29in every qualifying session so far.
17:32Ernesto Rivera has actually been in the top 12
17:35in all the qualifying sessions he's done.
17:36He, of course, missed the first round due to injury,
17:39but that shows you why they're doing so well
17:41in the championship this season.
17:43Consistency of qualifying,
17:44as much as the race is where you score points,
17:47you often race where you qualify.
17:49It's hard to make that many positions in the field
17:51as tight and as competitive as Formula 3.
17:54But interesting,
17:54whilst Freddie was chatting to us on the left of screen,
17:57we saw on the right of screen,
17:58work going on at the front of his car,
18:00front wing adjustments,
18:01which means that Freddie isn't quite happy
18:02with the overall aerodynamic balance of his car,
18:05so whether that'll be an increase in front wing angle
18:07to give him more front grip in the high-speed corners
18:09or a decrease in front wing angle
18:11to give him slightly less front grip
18:12and a bit more of a compliant car
18:14as he heads through the high-speed corners,
18:15we won't be sure,
18:17but what we can be sure of
18:19is that the weather is remaining unpredictable.
18:21It looked a moment ago
18:22as if it was still raining up at Lake On.
18:24It seemed Gradish came in the pit lane there,
18:28so perhaps just trying to follow the strategy
18:31that they had planned out
18:33in terms of the amount of laps
18:35they want to complete
18:36for tyres and for fuel.
18:38OK, it's time to go and search for a tow, I think.
18:43This is around the time
18:44where we start to see drivers looking for that.
18:46Ugo Ugochukwu, ninth place for him.
18:48He's in the top 12,
18:49but starting to get in danger of dropping out.
18:51He'll want to go and improve this time.
18:54Ugochukwu needs to improve on this lap.
18:56Last year, we saw improvements
18:58of around a second from most drivers
19:01between run one and run two.
19:03Most notably, Brad Benavides
19:05improved by 2.4 seconds
19:08between his first flying lap
19:10and his second flying lap,
19:12which put him pole.
19:13So basically, everyone is still within a shot here
19:15because I expect we're going to see improvements
19:18in the region of a second,
19:20maybe more for some drivers
19:21because just with the fuel burning off,
19:23such a long lap,
19:24the rubber going down,
19:25assuming there's no more rain,
19:26that basically anyone within a second and a half
19:28could well have a genuine shot
19:29if they nail their second lap,
19:31which is why everyone's looking for a tow,
19:32but also why the tow is such a risky thing
19:35because the driver in front of you makes a mistake.
19:37You end up following them in that mistake.
19:39Seems we're going for another warm-up lap here
19:43as Teofel Nile.
19:45It was Higu Yamakoshi ahead of him, wasn't it?
19:47And I think he has nipped into the pit lane
19:49confirmation of that to the left.
19:51So Teofel Nile doing another warm-up lap here.
19:54Yeah, we saw this in F2 last year, didn't we, Chris?
19:56Drivers ducking at the front of the queue,
19:58ducking in the pit lane,
19:59doing effectively a self-administered drive-through.
20:02Yes.
20:02Because you have to go slowly without drivers seeing you.
20:04You end up dropping yourself in the middle of the pack.
20:07So quite smart and shrewd driving there,
20:09assuming that Yamakoshi doesn't actually stop
20:11and come in for any attention,
20:13but I don't think he will.
20:14Yeah, and he's out.
20:15So he has done a self-administered drive-through
20:16to drop himself back down the order
20:18and give himself a better track position.
20:20And we did one see all cars
20:21pretty much come through pit lane.
20:23Everyone just followed each other through
20:25and gave themselves a drive-through.
20:27OK, it's now Teofel Nile.
20:29Essentially, Higu Yamakoshi has handed that over to him
20:33in terms of being the one to lead the train.
20:36He's taking himself off that driver role.
20:38And now we're going to start searching for a tow.
20:42If you're on a flying lap,
20:43you absolutely have nowhere to go at this point.
20:46Tell us why drivers will want a tow.
20:48It's down this camel straight.
20:50It can be incredibly powerful.
20:51Yes, absolutely.
20:53It's a double-edged sword.
20:56Nearly two kilometers flat out
20:57from Le Sors, Herta, and a turn one
20:59all the way up to Lekom.
21:00And then you've got 1.3 kilometers
21:02from Stavolo to the bus stop.
21:03Completely flat out.
21:05If you're within a second or half a second,
21:07you don't want to be much closer than that,
21:09or the driver in front,
21:09you can gain tenths of a second per straight,
21:13shall we say.
21:14But then that's the other edge of that sword,
21:16the double-edged sword,
21:17is that once you go to the middle sector,
21:18which starts at Le Sors,
21:19and then you're very much all the way through to Stavolo,
21:21which is where most of the corners are
21:23and where most of the lap time can normally be gained,
21:25you'll then be having dirtier and less front grip,
21:27as we see.
21:28Oh, that's Le Corse.
21:29Le Corse taking evasive action.
21:31So it's very much a risk-versed reward,
21:33rid of a roll of the dice.
21:35A tow can gain you a lot of time,
21:36but also it's a high-risk strategy
21:37because you might end up being slowed up
21:39by a driver ahead who makes a mistake
21:41or who isn't as quick as you.
21:43Well, we've got drivers going off the circuit now
21:45to try and make their way through,
21:47and that's something that you've got to be careful of.
21:50Yeah, watch out with penalties.
21:52Remember what they said on the briefing.
21:54Yeah, but no one will want to pass me now.
21:57We'll go very slow and we'll see what's happening.
22:01Well, the team giving orders there,
22:04but let us know, let us know.
22:06Oh, big crash in the middle of the pack there.
22:08One of the Tridents is off.
22:11It's Noah Stromstead going completely
22:13into the back of another car,
22:14and with the sort of driving we had there,
22:16it was only a matter of time
22:18before we were going to see an incident,
22:20and this will no doubt be a red flag.
22:22We've got one of the Van Ammer Sports
22:24off just to the top right of screen there,
22:27but Noah Stromstead, I see you, Yamakoshi.
22:29It is Yamakoshi.
22:30Well, and the rain falls, Chris.
22:32Look, you can see the rain falling,
22:33and also there was a Prima
22:34that had a broken front tie rod as well.
22:37Good to hear that Noah's okay.
22:39That was, I mean, it's inevitable, isn't it,
22:41when you've got that many cars
22:42all queuing up through long corners
22:44without being able to see,
22:45and also the 27 involved there as well,
22:48of Yevon David.
22:50Messy, Chris.
22:51Yeah, I'm a bit surprised
22:53that drivers were being ordered to go slow,
22:55I have to say that one,
22:56but it's just a matter of time
22:59before something like this was going to happen.
23:01Okay, so a cause but not fault
23:03of Thayerfield Nile
23:04came through the vanishing cane,
23:06slowed up,
23:07and then initially,
23:08was it Stromstead initially into the back?
23:10I think it was Yevon David, I think.
23:13And was it Louis Sharp as well?
23:15Yeah, Sharp's been involved.
23:16I think Sharp was a collateral damage,
23:18quite literally, in that one.
23:21But yeah,
23:22this is why we don't like to see
23:23everyone slowing up
23:24when there's 30 cars all fighting
23:26for the same piece of tarmac,
23:27because a miscommunication,
23:28a driver looking in their mirror
23:29at the wrong time.
23:30Oh man, I got hit really bad.
23:32Yeah, the car is completely destroyed.
23:35Let's have a look.
23:36Oh, it was Stromstead.
23:37Yeah, Stromstead into the back of Yevon David,
23:39and then he goes into the side of Jose Garfias.
23:43I think that might be.
23:44Yeah, Garfias has been hit from behind
23:45and also got hit from the side
23:46and the 21 of Warton also got completely rear-ended as well.
23:51So he'll have damage on his diffuser.
23:53He or Yamakoshi was just taking invasive action.
23:55Yeah, I think that was a knock-on effect
23:56of everyone slowing down, wasn't it?
23:57And he was coming round the Fanya chicane
24:00and just gone into the back of someone.
24:02So I don't think there's anything he could have done there.
24:04I think that's just a real shame.
24:07And with Yevon David, as he mentioned,
24:08he's slowing up to not crash into the driver ahead.
24:12And Noah Stromstead has just been completely caught out
24:15and gone into the back of him.
24:16But with drivers going that slow around the circuit,
24:21the nearer we get to the end of the lap,
24:24ultimately something like this is going to happen.
24:26And I hope this comes as a lesson to drivers going forward.
24:30I hope that Yamakoshi is okay
24:32because he's holding his left hand gingerly.
24:36Looks okay to me
24:37because it's quite easy to hurt your hands,
24:38thumbs, fingers, wrists in these cars.
24:41No power steering.
24:42You have a direct link between the steering wheel
24:44through the steering components to the front wheels.
24:47And sometimes if you have a sudden knock,
24:48you can jam your hand against,
24:50basically your elbow gets stuck
24:51against the side of your bossy in the chassis.
24:52And then the steering wheel can put pressure
24:54in your hands very abruptly and cause injuries.
24:56I know James Headley, who was a guest driver with us last year,
24:59had an injury in Monaco in very similar circumstances.
25:01So, unfortunately, just a quirk of single-seater racing,
25:05the fact that these cars are so tight on the inside.
25:07But hopefully here and everyone else is absolutely okay
25:09and we see them all on the grid tomorrow.
25:10But it's a bit clumsy.
25:12It's not what we like to see.
25:13But unfortunately, it's a bit of a,
25:14just an effect of the way that single-seater racing is.
25:18You can gain so much time in a tow
25:20that drivers will be looking for it.
25:22And you don't want to be the one punching a hole in the air,
25:24which is the discussion we were hearing
25:25over Teofill Niles' radio.
25:26So, yeah, there we go.
25:28Now, that has been noted.
25:30Sometimes, if you're the sole cause of a red flag,
25:33you can have your lap time deleted.
25:34But we'll wait and see if anything is to happen of that.
25:38I'm sure the incident as a whole will be looked into.
25:41And keep an eye on the socials
25:43if there is any penalties to come.
25:46Well, whilst we've got this red flag out,
25:48let's hear from our championship leader,
25:50Ugo Ugochukwu about the challenges
25:53of this Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
25:57It's not easy to maximize the lap around here.
25:59It's a very long lap,
26:01which means, you know,
26:02there's a lot of places where you can kind of find
26:05or lose the pole lap.
26:06And obviously, with the long straights,
26:08the slipstream is also really important.
26:10It plays a big factor.
26:11So, yeah, obviously, it'll be important
26:14to kind of get yourself into a nice position.
26:16But, you know, pole position is not the main goal
26:18for me for the weekends.
26:20Qualifying near the front will be the main thing.
26:22And then from there, we can fight a lot in the races.
26:24We've seen a lot of tyre degradation last year.
26:28So I'm sure the races will play out pretty well.
26:32Championship leader, Ugo Ugochukwu there,
26:35currently ninth place in the standings in qualifying.
26:38So we have lost Hiyu Yamakoshi from the session
26:40who sits third.
26:41Noah Stromstead in fourth place as well.
26:44Yevon David, we have also lost
26:47from the session as well.
26:50That's a real shame from him.
26:5117th, he was having a pretty good run of things so far.
26:55Freddie Slater watches on
26:56and won't mind if the rain keeps falling.
26:58Now, before all of that happened, Piers,
27:00we were about to talk about this
27:02just before that crash happened.
27:04Tearfield Nile, they were speaking to him
27:06on the radio about what was said in the briefing.
27:10Just go through exactly
27:11what they would have been referring to there.
27:13Well, the drivers, the race direction team
27:15and everyone involved in the organization, the event,
27:17they want to avoid situations like this where possible,
27:19especially towards the end of a lap
27:21because in years gone by,
27:22there was always queues at the last corner
27:24because, you know, effectively you're forcing
27:26the drivers ahead and behind you into a situation
27:28because there's no more time left.
27:30But the direct quote from the race director's notes,
27:33which was said in the race driver's briefing is
27:39any last corner.
27:40So you have to be at racing speed
27:42on the racing line.
27:44Then the last sector,
27:45once you reach the apex of Blanchiment,
27:49you then, if you continue up towards the bus stop
27:51and through the bus stop,
27:52slower than racing speed on the racing line,
27:54then you can be expecting
27:56at least a look in from the stewards.
27:57And we saw so many cars doing that already.
27:59And part of that,
28:00the reason that was brought in
28:01and is explained is for safety reasons.
28:02So therefore, unfortunately,
28:03because all the drivers know
28:05and Teofil, Niall and Campos were discussing
28:07over the team radio,
28:09they know that, you know,
28:09they can't do that in the last sector.
28:11It actually just moves that problem backwards,
28:13you know, further up the circuit,
28:15which is where we saw on the exit
28:16of the Fania chicane.
28:17And unfortunately,
28:18a constant constant inner effects
28:19all the drivers slowing up.
28:22Yeah, it's under investigation.
28:23Niall was one of the first drivers
28:24who's under investigation with that.
28:25Then it was a few others as well.
28:28And then, of course,
28:28the drivers involved in the accident itself.
28:30I don't think actually by the letter of the dawn,
28:32Niall did a huge amount wrong there
28:34unless he slowed abruptly
28:36because you have to remain safe
28:38and predictable on the circuit.
28:39He looked like he just sort of pulled to one side.
28:43But my concern is
28:44with nine minutes, 38 seconds on the clock now,
28:47assuming this rain doesn't continue
28:48to fall as heavy as it is,
28:49it's actually falling quite heavily.
28:50But if it dries out,
28:52then we're going to have
28:53a nine minute qualifying session
28:54where everyone's going to be looking
28:55for exactly the same situation.
28:56We might see a roll repeat
28:58in terms of everyone trying to vie for position
29:00because they're going to be even more
29:01pressurized to go out together
29:03because there's such a little time
29:04left in the clock.
29:05Yep, exactly that.
29:07But the rain is still coming down
29:11at a fairly moderate rate here.
29:13So the umbrella's up over the drivers there.
29:17Well, let's hear from another driver
29:20while we're in the break.
29:22Louis Sharp, about his season so far,
29:24got a personal best result
29:25at Silverstone last time out.
29:30I definitely think, you know,
29:32after Melbourne,
29:33I think our momentum
29:35was definitely kind of shaken up
29:38a little bit.
29:38And obviously with me having to go
29:40through a recovery process,
29:41getting healthy again,
29:42and then coming back to racing
29:43after having, you know,
29:44a long time of not doing any driving,
29:45it was difficult.
29:46So I think, no,
29:47the season's definitely been
29:50not the ideal start we wanted.
29:52But I think, you know,
29:52the last couple of weekends,
29:54to be honest,
29:54the potential's been really good,
29:56although we haven't really
29:56been able to show it.
29:57But then, you know,
29:58last week in Silverstone,
29:59we finally was able to put together
30:01a bit more of a clean weekend
30:02and finally show the pace
30:04that we do have.
30:04So I do think now
30:05things are starting to click for us.
30:07I think as a team,
30:08you know, we've learned a lot.
30:09It's not been the easiest season.
30:11So I think we're starting
30:12to piece a few things together.
30:13And I think on my side as well,
30:14I think I'm starting to get that momentum
30:17and that confidence back.
30:18So, look, there's still
30:19a lot of racing to go.
30:20So I'm hoping this form can hold off.
30:23But, no, I think we are starting
30:24to unlock the potential
30:25a little bit more now.
30:28Absolutely that.
30:29Louis Sharp,
30:29fourth place in the feature race
30:31last time out.
30:32But had that crash
30:33at the first round
30:34in the sprint race
30:36with James Wharton
30:38and then had to withdraw
30:39from the rest of the event
30:40along with James,
30:41both of them having to go through
30:42a recovery process
30:44so that they were fit enough
30:46to then race at Monaco.
30:48This stage of the season,
30:50the rounds come thick and fast,
30:51don't they?
30:52So he talks about momentum there.
30:54If it's going the opposite way for you,
30:57it can feel quite hard
30:58to come back from,
30:59I imagine, as a driver.
31:00Yeah.
31:01Motorsport is such a mental sport
31:03in terms of so much
31:05of your performance relies
31:06on your ability
31:07to perform under pressure,
31:09your resilience,
31:10and how you feel
31:11as a person as well
31:13because it relies
31:14on your confidence
31:15to be able to go out there
31:16both in yourself
31:16and in your ability
31:17to push to the absolute limit.
31:19You know, session after session,
31:20corner after corner.
31:22And if you're on a bad run of form
31:24or you've had a bad few races,
31:25it's so easy to then
31:26have a bit of a negative spiral
31:27and we just heard
31:28from Louis there,
31:29a difficult start to the season,
31:31his closest thing
31:32to his home race in Melbourne,
31:34crash with his teammate,
31:35big, big crash.
31:37They both got injured,
31:38both had to recover
31:39and he mentioned
31:40the time out of the seat as well.
31:41Most of these drivers,
31:42they're not allowed to test cars,
31:44either these cars
31:45or other cars similar to these
31:46during the Formula 3 season
31:48to give everyone
31:48an equal opportunity
31:49but a lot of them
31:50will be going karting regular.
31:52They'll be driving
31:52other GT cars
31:53and other single-seaters
31:55that don't fall
31:56within the restrictions
31:57as well
31:58to try and keep
31:59their skills sharp.
32:00And Louis,
32:00when you're going,
32:01Louis and James Wharton
32:02and a number of other drivers
32:04who have had injuries,
32:05when you have to take
32:06a few weeks
32:07or a month or so,
32:08maybe even longer,
32:09away from driving,
32:10it does take you
32:11a little,
32:12a few laps
32:13to get back to
32:14where you sort of left off,
32:15pick up where you left off.
32:16It doesn't fall away completely.
32:17But when you consider
32:18you've only got one practice session
32:19on a Formula 3 weekend,
32:21in which case you might have
32:21three, maybe four
32:23flying laps of practice
32:24before you then have to
32:24absolutely nail it
32:25in qualifying,
32:26that could be the difference
32:27between a good weekend
32:27and a bad weekend.
32:28And no doubt this,
32:30one of the weekends
32:31the drivers would have been
32:32looking forward to the most.
32:34And we spoke to
32:35Maciej Gwadish
32:36about this circuit.
32:37Coming into the weekend,
32:38let's hear what he had to say.
32:42To be honest,
32:43I like this track.
32:45In the past,
32:45I think I've been
32:47quite strong at this track.
32:50Obviously,
32:51really important
32:51is to get a big toe
32:53because obviously
32:55first sector
32:56is all about the toe.
32:57Then second sector
32:58is obviously
32:59really tricky
32:59to not get that toe,
33:01just to not get dirty air.
33:03And then last sector
33:04is all about to get a toe.
33:06So it's really hard
33:07to qualify here
33:10just to get
33:11a good track position,
33:13good fast driver
33:14in front of you as well.
33:15and then put
33:17the lap together,
33:18of course.
33:19Maciej Gwadish
33:20currently in 15th place
33:22but now a Formula 3
33:24race winner
33:25after the penalties
33:27post-race.
33:28Maciej Gwadish
33:29was third
33:29and promoted
33:30up to the win.
33:32Became the second
33:33Polish driver to win
33:34after Roman Bilinski.
33:36Bruno Del Pino
33:38down in 22nd.
33:40He and Enzo Deligny
33:41hadn't quite got
33:41a first lap in.
33:43Their lap times deleted
33:44so had to
33:46then get another one
33:47in 22nd place.
33:49It was 27th
33:49for Deligny
33:50but you can see
33:51on the rainfall
33:52on the tyres there.
33:53It looks like
33:54this might be
33:54a little bit difficult
33:55for them out there.
33:57See at the top
33:58of the screen there
33:59as well
34:00that we will have
34:01an investigation
34:02after the session
34:03of Stromstead,
34:04Yamakoshi
34:04and David
34:06for causing
34:06a collision
34:07so we'll see
34:08if anything
34:08comes of that.
34:10We've also had
34:11Niall, Sharp
34:12and Wharton
34:13will also be
34:14investigated
34:14after the session
34:16for an incident
34:16at Turn 4
34:17so that is
34:18at the top
34:19of Radeon
34:20and I imagine
34:21was that maybe
34:22the start
34:22of what we saw
34:24on that cool down
34:24but it's getting
34:26the rainfall
34:27definitely coming down
34:28heavier out there now.
34:29Yeah and you'll notice
34:30top left to the side
34:30of the screen
34:31it was 9.38 to go
34:32and the session
34:33was paused.
34:34It's now started
34:35ticking down
34:36even though we're
34:37under red flag conditions
34:38because we do have
34:38a hard stop
34:40and actually
34:41we've just seen
34:42at the top of the screen
34:43unfortunately qualifying
34:43will not be resumed
34:44so all those drivers
34:45that were hoping
34:45to get another lap in
34:46won't have the opportunity
34:47and that means
34:48this man here
34:49is your provisional
34:50pole sitter.
34:50It's Freddie Slater
34:52the Audi Junior
34:54taking back-to-back
34:55pole positions
34:56took pole
34:57on home soil
34:58at Spa
34:59and now he goes
35:00and takes pole.
35:01Let's go.
35:02Come on boys.
35:04Nice one.
35:04Nice one.
35:06Page.
35:07Finally we did it there.
35:11Audi Junior
35:12Freddie Slater
35:13taking pole position.
35:15Callum Boy
35:15is in the last
35:16British winner
35:17in Formula 3
35:19and that was when
35:20he took pole
35:20here at Spa
35:21in 2024.
35:24Can Freddie Slater
35:25go and put the
35:25British flag
35:26back on the top
35:27step of the podium.
35:28What a result
35:29for MP Motorsport
35:30as well.
35:30This is always
35:31a really difficult
35:32circuit for them
35:34given the history
35:36here and how
35:37they lost
35:38Ilano Vantov
35:38they all went
35:39and paid tribute
35:40to him
35:40but that will be
35:41a very good result
35:42for MP Motorsport
35:44and feel particularly
35:45good given the
35:46circumstances.
35:47Absolutely.
35:47It will be great
35:48to give that
35:48to the team
35:49who have struggled
35:50so much
35:50over the last
35:51few years
35:51with difficulty
35:52of that situation
35:53but a good result
35:54good to see
35:54Taftan showing
35:55his experience
35:55but what an
35:56interesting and
35:57unusual situation
35:58we have.
35:58A driver that
35:59is currently
36:00not
36:01wouldn't have
36:01been able to
36:02run
36:02who had just
36:02had a crash
36:03is currently
36:04sitting provisionally
36:04third in qualifying
36:05so unusual
36:07remains to be seen
36:08whether there will
36:09be any changes
36:09so these results
36:10will be very much
36:11provisional
36:12and you're just
36:13pointing at something
36:13on the timing
36:14screen Chris?
36:14Yeah you say
36:15it will be provisional
36:16we have multiple
36:17cars noted for
36:18driving unnecessarily
36:19slowly and side
36:21by side
36:21so we'll call
36:23this a provisional
36:23result
36:24you never know
36:24there could be
36:25some changes
36:26after.
36:27And we've spoken
36:27about the race
36:28directors
36:28the race drivers
36:29briefing and the
36:29race directors
36:30notes
36:30there's also a line
36:31in there that
36:31says drivers
36:32should not be
36:32driving side by
36:33side for extended
36:34periods in qualifying
36:35you know that's
36:36another instruction
36:37from the race
36:38director that the
36:39stewards can act
36:39upon so there will
36:41I'm sure be a lot
36:42of work done
36:43behind the scenes
36:44to see what
36:45happened and who
36:45was the cause of
36:46what during that
36:46session but it
36:47doesn't matter to
36:48this man because
36:48he was out there
36:48pretty much on his
36:49own found himself
36:50a space and that
36:51first lap as we
36:52mentioned may well
36:53have been critical
36:54and for different
36:55reasons that we
36:55thought it was it
36:56was critical and he
36:57was able to take
36:58pole position once
36:59again.
37:00Back to back poles
37:01for Freddie
37:01Stater took pole at
37:02Silverstone and now
37:04pole here at Spa
37:05as well and that's
37:07a real signal that
37:09he's going to go
37:10chasing after Ugo
37:11Ugochukwu in the
37:12lead of the
37:13championship.
37:15Well a session
37:16that's ended early
37:17due to that red
37:18flag and the
37:19conditions as well
37:20meaning we couldn't
37:21get the drivers back
37:22out there to compete
37:23in a qualifying
37:24session so your
37:25provisional result is
37:26Freddie Slater pole
37:27ahead of Tuka
37:28Tapanen, Hiya
37:29Yamakashi, Noah
37:30Stromsteader, Nesta
37:31Robert, Mathieu
37:31Kornagi and Pedro
37:33Clara, Brando
37:33Badouer, Ugo
37:34Ugochukwu and
37:35Teofil Nal, Taito
37:37Kato and Jin
37:38Nakamura round out
37:39the top 12 so it
37:40will be the front row
37:40tomorrow and it was
37:41Ho, Sharp, Gwadish,
37:43Giusti, David,
37:44Berenbakti,
37:45Wharton and Gerard
37:46G in 20th, Garfias
37:4821st then Del Pino
37:5022nd, Mateo
37:51Di Paolo 23rd,
37:53Lecorte next then we
37:54had Lee, Barrichello,
37:56De Ligny, Shin,
37:57McLaughlin and
37:58Riccardo Escotto
38:00rounding out the
38:01field for AIX Racing.
38:03Well that is all
38:04a qualifying session
38:06affected by the rain
38:08and with that we will
38:10end the session early
38:12but Freddy Slater just
38:13like he was in practice
38:14earlier going quickest
38:15with a 205.150.
38:18Make sure you join us
38:19for the sprint race
38:20tomorrow.
38:2012 laps will begin at
38:2210 a.m. local time
38:24here in Belgium.
38:28We'll be right back.
38:54We'll be right back.
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