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[Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] he [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] la w [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] y [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Music] oh B [Music] he [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Music] from Iconic Spa in Belgium it is time for the resumption of a thrilling World Championship battle for Formula 1 in 2024 we continue now with a qualifying hour which will contain both nuance and skill Max stappen is taking a 10 Place grid penalty can McLaren take advantage and score a front row lockout for the second time in seven days the rain has arrived to give us mixed conditions ahead of the qualifying hour e e can you keep the th e e e e no RIS getting straight out there and now the Staffing leaves the pits as well the other part to say is serg Perez here is under pressure the STA and takes 10 places is Red Bull need Perez to have his best qualifying in a while to show something at the front of the race at the start tomorrow Sergio Perez really tough run of form but he has finished second here and each of the last two Belgian Grand Prix part of a Red Bull onew with Max staffen the winner in the last three years a onew for the Red Bull team the constructors champions of the world in the last two seasons so conditions are tricky from a driver's point of view Jolie what's the the weather conditions might Force the drivers to push earlier what do you how do you want to build this session if time wasn't there in terms of pressure well if time's not there then you can you is Time's only there because the track's going to get wetter soon so you have to bank that in your mind and Norris has been told it so you have to just try and find the limit of the grip straight away the problem is for these drivers as Lando starts a flying lap a mistake around this circuit if Norris was to lock up there and go wide takes a long time to get back around to start another rain expected in just over 2 minutes time so this could be a one laap shootout for everyone with an unknown track conditions how much do you keep the throttle in coming through a Rouge there's big risky Corners around this circuit and is treading that that fine line between finding the edge of the grip but not going over it and missing the lap because raining 2 minutes on some tracks you might get another shot at it around here you're going to be over 2 minutes getting round for another lap and then another two minutes completing it so this could well be it Lando Norris hammered on when he came out of the pits he goes parir who was one of the last cars out of the pit Lane you're on board with the driver who took the most recent pole position in Formula One Making corrections as he goes down into turn number nine speakers corner so he's the first driver to be leaning on it in these conditions everyone else still on outl the drivers ahead of him the next car he's going to pass is actually ma Stafford who was one of the last cars out of the pits there's a big slide for Norris coming through pu feeling the grip out so normally when you would want to build for a couple of laps to assess the conditions the nature of the heavier rain falling means that Norris has to go out there and push and we have seen him top q1 and Q2 before around this circuit in mixed conditions but he's pressing on now with rain scheduled forast to get more intense in the re in the minutes to come this is the ultimate test of skill and T exploring on an unknown level of grip and getting up to the Limit and not going over it it's it's easier when you can calibrate where the grip levels at you start breaking at 140 M for the bus stop here and then you think oh that was okay the next lap I'll go 120 then maybe 100 and you no it towards the optimum grip and there you see Norris completing the lapers but staff's just starting one so that's a Time on the board just underneath 2 minutes for for a flat out land on noris there Oscar pastri going quicker in the middle sector remember the top 15 Advance Magnuson is into second place let's see what we get behind hulkenberg always so good in these conditions finds himself on a 158 787 last year in mix conditions hulkenberg found himself on the front row at the end of the qualifying hour before a penalty our most recent grand prix winner is ahead of hulkenberg and Norris as the rain is forecast to get more intense but it's a Long Lap here spread over a huge distance compared to circuit it's over 4.3 Mi 7 km in length and we have seen him mixed conditions earli this year alono be very impressive he goes ahead of hulkenberg ahead of Norris and that is second fastest at the moment Max aaen with the fastest first sector out there so far St been running a Red Bull with slightly more down Force than some of the cars around of FS the tradition of trying to take off the down Force to get the top speed higher and charge through the pack in the conventional way but Red Bull fancy setting the car up this Max is more confident and it will pay off in terms of the corner and grip through the middle sector particularly today but you can see in these conditions when o Rouge isn't easily flat out then you get the benefit of the downforce as well and Max is actually already quick in the first part of the lap where normally you'd want to be trimming it out this is a real belter of a first lap from just remember he's running uh later in the queue compared to everyone else so McLaren we're taking no chances when you've got the fastest car in recent times which is what McLaren have had one two in the last Grand Prix you go out there immediately and you tick all the boxes there was more confidence out there for Red Bull Perez goes into second position Max fastest in sector one and sector two the top 15 trying to progress into the next part of qualifying and that is the fastest time by 1.4 seconds a huge margin 1.4 to piastri who's got form around this circle in slippering conditions two seconds to Perez who's third let's see what mclair can do getting the Ferrari to the line he at least jumps into the top three and is safe for the moment Magnus went again and improved up to seventh so there are drivers doing consecutive push laps Norris backed off a lap and now he's going again so he's not safe here down in 13th position Le Hamilton was reporting little grip on the radio when he was out there earlier on this lap time is good enough for third in the order the gaps really extended in these mixed conditions look at the C for staing hat you'd say the track is drying and it's getting better with every lap until the rain start to intensify so they're going to keep tumbling the times down but the staffen is a second clear of everyone still the car is set up to be a little better in these conditions but Max has such confidence we talk about the ultimate skill level and unleashing and unlocking the potential on one lap this is aaid special and he has laid down a bit of a marker there q1 just over 10 minutes to go Daniel Ricardo gets out of the way of his former teammate and Lando Norris looking for an improvement Personal Best in sector one and he's 17 so if the rain starts to intensify right now as he's been warned over the radio then Norris is out in q1 potentially he is coming towards the end of the second sector and then there's just a long run to the bus stop to complete this lap so looks like he may get away with it but this is risky stuff from Lando so finds himself having gone out early on but the rain didn't arrive at the moment they thought it would then you're at the back of the queue having been at the front of the queue and it's who is over the line at the right moment that could be defining who's going through and who is going out look at the big names that we've got we got caros SS in 13th hoping that there isn't much improvement but there is tons of improvement right now Norris is on for a personal best so is vry BAS Who currently last 10 minutes to go this could easily change but reain is forecast to get more intense Norris to the line needed a lap found a lap goes P4 which drops SS now to 14th but there is caros in the background getting on the gas and he's about to LEAP up the order as well so another big name safely up into the top 10 for the moment hulkenberg having been second fastest initially on that first push lap finds himself with not an improvement in the middle part of the lap uh vry botas is finding time in that sector Hamilton is up to Fourth position piastri being told the rain could get heavier hulkenberg up to 14th but that will be only 14th in the context of the improvements behind it is raining but it's just light rain at the moment so at the with the cars all circulating 19 cars out on track magnuson's coming to the pit Lane but they are clearing the track at a faster rate than the rain is wetting it so at the moment it's paying off if it intensifies then the track will get wetter it will get slower and this will be the order locked in warning shot from valry botas though who's gone from last to sixth with that Improvement he's 1.2 seconds away from thein's Benchmark but that Sala is without a point all season long and he's showing that at the moment the track is still improving Perez down in 11th position Alonzo's in the pits so's Magnus so's Alan if it gets heavier now they've got no answer so Aston Martin and Magnus and Alban both Williams in fact and Magnuson must be expecting the rain not to intensify otherwise they've got to be out there on track and getting their lap times in they've both chanced it for another set of tires to get themselves up way higher up the order with 8 minutes left the outla is going to take a while on this and then you got a flying you got about 5 minutes to get a a flying lap in on intermediates Perez is about to prove that the track is still drying as he turns into the bus stop stairs as he hits the curb comes through the second part this is now or never for new set we think we should take a new set okay box direct instruction from McLaren as Perez goes to Second sonoda goes to fifth he's the driver who's taken so many uh power unit penalties is's going to start from the very back no matter what but he's still in the session a session that his teammate is second fastest in at the moment the debate is do you stay out there and carry on pushing or do you come in for the grip of a new set of intermediates it's now for Norris and it's never for Ferrari then they cross the line but lir jumps up the order to Second Place SC is now down in 13 and is he going to jump into the pit lane or is he going to start another flying lap he comes straight past and it's going to start another flyer so Ferrari going to try and do this without pitting most of the field now it's pretty even split actually drivers that have tited and drivers are going to try and stay out on one set of inters here's Joe Gru who finds himself at the final chicane going up through the gears over the line can he get himself out of the Drop Zone yes 14th Place for the Chinese driver Al he was doing that a few seconds before Oscar piastri found himself taking the fastest time by 4 and half t0 of a second but in the wet in these conditions where the track is improving with every lap that a Formula 1 car runs around the 4.3 mil of Spar the gaps of improvement are far greater than we would normally see in the dve so botas comes into the pits from 10th and he's going to fit a new set of Ines for one last harrar at the end of the sessions there's still just about time if anyone wants to but you're risking this rain intensifying in the last 6 minutes sign sliding coming through Speakers Corner now we're descending towards pu a quick double left flat out in the dry in a rubbed in qualifying session it's a break and a downshift for uh for SS at this stage on intermediates so staffen is pushing on as well with the fastest first sector of anyone so far it's a personal best in the first part of the lap as well for Hamilton and Russell signs in 13 though is the driver that we're focusing on you can see Bas is on an out laap Norris is on an out laap so is on signs is elected to stay out there continue plugging away continuing to try and improve his lap time Joe and then Alonzo the drivers looking at what Magnuson and alurn and Sergeant can do they're on outlasts trying to push on on Fresh tires final sha for the Ferrari of Carlos SS down enormously waits for the grip squeezes the throttle as he goes to the line where's the Improvement he needs it fourth position for Carlos s safety for now but times are going to Tumble all the way through this Final 5 minutes unless this rain intensifies which is the threat that we keep hearing from McLaren spots on the lens but it doesn't look too bad there at the source top of the hill but it can hit Suddenly at one part of the circuit 7 km it's really vast this uh this circuit and you can find the wind direction will blow it in at the moment it'll be from the the top of the hill at the uh the LOM end at sort of Turn 5 six7 there where the the range should hit first and V stappen goes fastest by a huge margin Hamilton has popped up to third position here is Fernando Alonso his best qualifying performance this season was in a really tricky session back in China when he was third and he was also very competitive in the Sprint qualifying session in mixed conditions Aston Martin story their season so far trying to get their updates to become upgrades understand what they've got underneath them as they try to improve the car they're not worrying about the overall pitch at the moment they're just looking for an improvement for the driver who is first Under Pressure a two-time champion of the world who is making his way through the final chicane now 4 minutes to go and Alonzo who elects to stay out there improves to Fourth ahead of the two Ferraris there's plenty of teams playing chicking with the rain at the moment Joe in the pits hulkenberg in the pits so they disagree with what McLaren is seeing in the coming in and they're going to go for a conventional outl and one push at the end of the session you could understand why at the moment the track's just drying and drying we got three and a half minutes left at this stage you want to be on the best tires at the last moment for the final lap if the rain intensity increases Lando Norris right on the brink there the vcar Sergio Perez in the pits 3 minutes and 20 seconds to go there could be a huge amount of improvement if you've taken a new set Alex Al did take a new set the Williams driver just correcting the car and goes to eighth position so the tie driver splitting the Ferraris who are dropping down this is Lando norres currently in the drop zone needed a lap to improve his position he will find one good enough for fifth place SS just dives into the pits now so Ferrari cutting it fine with Carlos SS to bolt on a new set of inters and send him back out again 2 minutes 50 seconds and counting left on the clock in a flying lap right now is 1 minute 54 but that looks like Carlos on the left hand side scrambling back out for a new set of inter to try and get one more flying laping which he may well need as he's sliding down to 10th position other big names Russell 17th Perez is 13th they're big names under pressure this is George Russell on the end of an out laap he's got one chance to dig himself out here so the weather looks like it's holding for the moment but that can change and that can change fast you don't need to remind George Russell that things can dve out quickly he was out this time last week at the hungara ring not being out on the track at the last moment this time around he's going to give himself an opportunity in the final 2 minutes of q1 he's only been eliminated at one circuit in q1 for Mercedes that was the hungar Rings happened a couple of times he's looking to avoid it happening back to back he did one of the great qualifying laps in 2021 in these conditions around this circuit second in the Williams was quick the whole way through but now in the Mercedes should be much more competitive and he's under pressure at the end of q1 but on a fresh set of intermediates he sweeps through Lop up the chemel straight we'll pick up a little bit of a slipstream but won't see a huge amount in that as he heads up the chemel straight Joey's on an out laap hulkenberg on an out laap as well so is Lewis Hamilton you can see the Improvement that George Russell is finding we're comparing his lap time to Yuki sonoda Russell desperately trying to avoid back-to- back q1 exits in a car good enough this year to win two grand prix one thanks to George russl in Austria one thanks to Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone and he's making his way through turn number nine the world championship leader Max estaffing getting out of the way of his path as he heads into p on Corner he's finding an improvement he'll need it to get out of the Drop Zone in these conditions there's barely a driver out there that is safe to get through Q2 you have to be on your toes even if you're currently in the top 10 even if you're at the top five right now if you're not improving on the last lab you can be passed by almost the entire field as the track continues to dry out even though there's a threat of rain looming it's not hitting at the moment Russell's right out towards the gravel but is quick he's two10 down on ven at the top tell you what it's getting darker and darker out there at this stage Russell trying to complete his lap get out of the drop zone that is currently Logan Sergeant George Russell V Bas Joe guu and Nico hulkenberg Russell goes past Lewis Hamilton sometimes you want to be the last car over the line in a session like that other times you just want to log Laps on the board that's what George Russell has done picks his way past the salba charlot Clair went up to Second Place George Russell goes up to Third and that gets him out of the drop zone that now includes Yuki Coda and the checker flag Falls now and Hamilton just started a lap as well so he was the last car out of the pits he just gets a flying lap in the asri goes over the line with the fastest time he's the first car to take the flag this is Max aaen and that incident of potential impeding investigated after [Music] hello well that's impeding for Joe who's currently down in 19th and he's on his final flying lap at the moment and not improving in the first part so Joe's already in trouble and he's going to be in trouble with the stewards I think though looking over their shoulders at the moment Ricardo Perez and Magnuson but everyone needs an improvement here this is really really important because of what you're seeing from V botas and hulkenberg finding huge amounts of time as they try to scrub off the speed of the final Chet gazley in the Aline goes second o on his teammate Goes Sick there is so much performance to be had there Perez drops down to 14th now 15th as hulkenberg leaps up Perez is very close to improving up against piastri big lead forward here as we go over the line up to eighth position goes vry botas he's a 10 time grand prix winner previously in his career C Perez now in the drop zone find an improvement when it matters he goes round the final left-hander that is turn 19 of the racetrack needs an improvement cuz he's in the drop zone Perez finds a lap time and gets up to P4 he really needed that one signs in the bottom five right now but on an improvement SS and sonoda both finding time from the Drop Zone which will leave hulberg and stroll in trouble Norris improves only goes 11th here car sence he's safe hulkenberg is out so is Kevin Magnuson Yuki sonoda finds himself pushing all the way but it's not enough to get out of the first part of qualifying he knew he was starting at the back anyway and there's no improvement for sergeant and Joe some big names made to sweat but in the end all of our main contenders for the weekend have advanced to the next part of qualifying out goes hulkenberg Magnus Coda sergeant and Joe double exit for H which doesn't surprise us massively they've set their car up more for straight line speed which hurts the in these conditions and there'll be a team looking to charge back through for uh for some points tomorrow and they'll have a chance of it with the way that they've set the car up Hamilton 13th Norris 12th not easy it was not easy for so many out there but as you said the big name is mostly making it through and that is the type of session where the wrong call can really catch you out that intense rain that was forecast we heard it debated on the McLaren radio it never arrived in the way that they were fearing they got the ear early laps done those who pitted for a second set of inters being rewarded the eliminated drivers hulkenberg Magnus sonoda sergeant and yeah I'm not ready we compromise our too much well czecho delivered a decent lap there at the end Under Pressure he didn't improve his first sector so he didn't feel the grip immediately but he managed to pick up more than enough in sectors two and three and finish that part in fourth remember sonoda starts from the back of the grid anyway so we speak about Perez's uh Vin's 10th Place grid penalty but sonoda was destined to be at the back so he won't lose sleep over that one either no if you're going to have a bad day this is the one to have it when you're taking wood is effectively a 60 Place penalty adding one going one Beyond every part of your power unit allocation Joe guu out in q1 once again not what he wanted frustration for him that's the 12th time that's happened this season didn't improve at the end of norded Sergeant and they end up 19th and 20th the two drivers they're both majorly Under Pressure to stay in Formula 1 for next season so we will go again with 15 drivers remaining in the session including one Williams but not this Williams this is Logan Sergeant over the line now qualified by Alex Alban in uh every in every Grand Prix qualifying session he's taking part in let's here for [Music] me lot of Sergeant didn't Pro Sten coming up the inside but Ma was entitled to do that starting a flying lap as well that was Hamilton starting his last flying lap and he only just made it by about one or two seconds over the line so they're all tight fighting for space and Sergeant obviously loses out a lot there it's frantic stuff when the conditions are like this any rain in the air could really change the picture let's go to Sam Collins for an update on the weather thanks Alex look this is the what you're hearing from the radio messages the team's radar systems well they're working but they're not giving the day to the teams that's why you're hearing messages like rain in 2 minutes then it doesn't turn up rain in eight minutes then it doesn't turn up what's happening is that Ranger Hills I was talking about in free practice is interfering of the radar so what the teams May well have to do and what they may be doing if they're smart is sending team members in a car or on a bicycle if they're unlucky 10 minutes and 20 minutes down the road into stavo or down Road into this Countryside area here just so they can get on their mobile phones phone back and say there's a really big shower here it will be with you in 10 minutes It'll Be With You in8 minutes because the radar is not properly showing what's going to happen right now it says no rain expected for Q2 I don't really believe that right now I've looked at another radar there is rain in the area will it hit the circuit we just don't know and the teams are going to have to really gamble because we could be seeing the circuit dry a lot more could it bring us to slicks I don't know jolian Alex this is going to be a tough decision on the pit wall it's going to be so interesting Sam to see how the teams react how they respond whether they get their tactics right at the right moment thank you for that weather update we're looking at a a deep moment into lasource for Yuki sonoda who was always going to be starting from the back anyway but he didn't find a lap time good enough to knock out anyone else for to try and help his team which has one representative into the next part of qualify and everyone gets Twitchy again about the prospect of rain the times are all wiped you got to stay out of the bottom five once again to get into Q3 so they got to get a banker on and the track may be at its best conditions but right now no one's really knowing what's going to happen with the weather we're still expecting more rain at uh at some point that's why everyone's rushing to the end of the end of the pit Lane to get something on the board tracks pretty dry in places look at that on the uh on the main straight there the breaking zone for turn one sergeant had a big lock up still damp it's a bit greasy if it doesn't rain again we'll see we could see slicks for uh for Q3 couple of drivers debating that on the radio on the in laap remember this is a 15minute session we have a green light at the end of the pit Lane we have Alex alour making his way out Williams is Tire strategy in 2021 enabled a really strong showing from both drivers Nicholas and T in the top 10 George Russell on the front row we never got a Grand Prix so that was qualifying result to find the eventual race result even though we had no green flag running we are expecting tomorrow to be dry but it has been wet all day long so wet earlier on that they had to postpone the Formula 2 race but in Formula 1 it is time for the second part of qualifying we're sending cars out once again on the intermediate T new set of in there for Oscar piastri last one rain in 10 minutes so all the weather chatter is from McLaren at the moment trying to stay on top of things they want to make sure as we saw at the checker flag there they want to make sure they are on track at the driest part of the session if you're not if you're in the pits or you're on an out laap or a slow lap you can be caught short even if you're a McLaren or you're a Max V Stafford if the track is just much D for everyone else and you've missed that Optimum window you could be adding Q2 here so everyone preparing the car ready to attack the longest lap of the season of the 24 Grand Prix circuits that we visit this year in the longest ever season for the championship this is the winner of the Australian Grand Prix earlier the year caros SS who has inherited a pole position from Max stappen taking a power unit penalty around here in the past he's trying to get himself into Q3 to contend for the top 10 shootout and that's something that scien has managed at all but one of the grand PRI this year a couple of Drive patches around stavo here as we join George Russell on board on an out laap having a look around still very much on an inter tie but there you go there's another Drive patch on the exit of stavo too and you can see this stretch here it's it's you're looking at slick tires being very very possible soon with the way that there's that dry line all the way coming through is a speed build the tarmac is lighter there's no moisture there through blanchimont as well problem is at other parts on the circuit like coming through Lake malm it looks still too wet for the uh for the Slick it's raining a little bit I think it's very very fine DZ well Max Just Happening conversation with jier lamp on the radio and he's responding that it's fine drizzle the sord will be constantly feeding back that information there is rain on the camera lens there for George Russell as he heads to some of the best corners in Motorsport through arouge through radon attacking on now flat for Russell on an intermediate Tire in still slippery conditions and he's flat through a Rouge so says something about his confidence and the level of moisture that we've got on the circuit right now they got to be thinking about the chance to put on some slick tires in the remaining part of the the hour but this is the part where it still looks much darker tarmac there's still a lot more moisture around and you'd be worrying about skating straight off on a slick bit of a correction there for Russell as he made his way through ravage Corner this is into turn number nine drops on the camera lens but nothing to worry the drivers at the moment Alex alurn is the driver on the left hand side of your pitcher he was first out of the pit Lane so he's the first in the queue to set a timed lap in QT yes definitely too wet in the first half of the lap then it's dry in other places Russell fighting the rear of the car at all times coming through the fade sweeping right and then left breaking zone for stavo getting pretty much towards a dry line for George Russell other drivers go slightly wider there at stavo but through both parts Russell's just hooking up an Apex as you do in the dry and now accelerating it'll be flat out all the way up towards the bus stop where you wouldn't expect DRS even in dry conditions only two zones one's over the start finish the other up the chemel strike so Russell builds the speed towards 200 mph but not quite getting there hitting the brakes with more and more confidence with every lap no one's made a big mistake there at the bus stop breaking which is such an easy thing to do at the end of the lap Russell manages to come through but only goes third behind an Al and a Williams not what you you would expect for a two-time pole position holder this year Alin finds himself fastest then okon then Russell then gazley other times being put on the board for the first last time in Q2 including a man who looks set for his made and pole position in 2021 around this circuit but he crashed in Q3 he's fastest at the moment the driver who took our most recent poll Lando Norris on a 154 459 he a HED Charla clir crosses the line it's only seventh fastest so that would would not have been his finest lap behind the wheel of a Ferrari he's been on poll 24 times in form one Hamilton to fifth signs to sixth place yet to see an effort from maxen we're in the 1 minute 54 around a 7 km slippery track and yet the times are still this close gazley is within 6/10 in ninth position is about to be blown out of the water by ven who's on a mission when he gets things hooked up in this Red Bull 10 placeat grid drop heading his way but he is also heading to the top of the times for the moment if he can keep his foot in here and then find the breaking point for the bus stop moisture in the air slippery track flat through blanchimont a huge Direction change for these modern Formula One cars just eat it up like it isn't there for Sten in the middle part of this circuit so so impressive and so is that lap time 610 of a second ahead of Lando Norris looking for a response he is going through his toughest toughest period in Formula 1 in terms of not being on the top step as a winner since he won the title back in 2021 and he's dancing it to the gravel's edge yeah laring it coming through the exit at stavo one got out wide then found him self towards the painted surface which gives him a bit of kick of over steer as he still tries to get on the gas Alonzo jumping out of the way of Lewis Hamilton there as everyone tries to sort out the order before they attack again but Stafford Norris Alban piastri okon Perez Ricardo then Alonzo Hamilton and SS currently in the drop zone and needing an improvement Russell gazley charl lir vry botas and L stroll so this is where the conditions can be can be fun because we saw in the first part Norris and Hamilton 12th and 13th they're both now in the top 10 but you've got Russell taking a new set of intermediates reporting on the radio that uh that the rear was nowhere we rode on Bo with his lap and you could see him fighting the car and suddenly he's a Mercedes in a bit of Jeopardy here 11th position as he heads back out for another go at it lir pits in the Ferrari from 13th his teammate's in 10th meanwhile you got a Williams up in third you've got an Alpine a vestan Aon in gle's shown Pace already in q1 this is the sort of time where the Midfield teams the teams further back can put a bit of a marker down everyone then leaving the pit Lane the skies dark over Spar Fran George Russell out there on an out laap so it's Charla Clair the two big names currently in the drop zone but also a grand prix winner in the drop zone and Pierre gazley who was strong here in the Sprint race one year ago F botas and L stroll who had the crash earlier on Aston Martin did a great job to repair that car to get him back into the session you get an idea it's dark out there but it's still dry enough out there it is really dark though overhead feels like there's going to be some imminent rain that's why everyone so gazi sends it now to the fast part the fast part through sector one the final part sector 3 also rapid it's the highp speed corners Direction Change in the middle part of the lap where the red ball has been really strong so far in this qualifying hour it is red ball at the top but we're looking at the bottom five Perez reporting that it's raining harder now so your timing of when you're on the circuit absolutely vital Pierre gazley across the line can he find any Improvement no and are we sectors out there very few very few in the middle part of the lap as the rain potentially Falls harder yeah trickiest conditions now if you're in that bottom five if you're George Russell on an out laap you got to hope that the rain holds off and you put a tidy lap on the board Fernando Alonzo nursing it on the down shifts down to second gear for the bus stop don't want to unsettle the car then squeeze on that throttle very carefully Try Not To Break traction over the line but it's no improvement for him either so no timeout there going faster he goes deep into the first turn of the RAC trck the rigns intensifying it is as Russell now comes up the chemel straight for a really crucial lap time for him out early in qualifying in Hungary last time out he's done the fastest first sector but if the rain intensifies around the rest of the lap he might not be able to complete it well he's pushing on now with the conditions potentially changing every corner it feels like further on through the lap is where it looks like it looks really dark at stavo corner he's not there yet he is an improvement but hanging on to it right to the rug control from him is not the quickest way to go around that corner but he is hanging on to it once again the rear grip of the Mercedes struggling at this stage but he kept his foot in he kept within track limits he's giving himself a chance this is a personal best for George Russell at the moment the driver on pole position on a couple of occasions including his home race at the British Grand Prix Hamilton finds a personal best in sector one he's at risk in ninth position rust is ringing the neck of this Mercedes he's going all in to try and make Q3 he's only two t0 up on Carlos SS who's currently on the bubble in 10th position lir is improving but he's not as quick as Russell in the first part of the lap Russell is the fastest man outright still in that part can he keep it for the final sector breaks offline to try and ster clear of that rubber that could become slippery still gets it into one Apex makes the second Apex as well turns the car struggles for rear grip and now drives to the line it's enough fourth position for George Russell to drop both Ferraris into the drop zone signs his 11 charl clir personal best sector one he needs an improvement as Hamilton fights the car coming through stabo Hamilton is on for an improvement through two sectors it's not absolutely rapid laugh either though at the moment both Ferraris are improving but neither of them sensationally through two sectors lir is a bit quicker than uh than his teammate incredible skill on display for us there's a lot of spray into that breaking zone of the final chicane everyone picking their Breaking Point charlot Clair improving sector 1 and sector 2 Hamilton is on for an overall Improvement and he moves up to fifth place behind his teammate both Ferraris need a reply after falling into the Drop Zone here's charl Clair's good enough for third yeah very good final sector from lir very good middle sector as well in fact and he's left up the order in spite of a mediocre first sector in the Ferrari Here Comes Carlos SS to the line picking up time as as well and he's safe up and fourth good lap for Carlos SS the driver at risk at the moment is Sergio Perez Daniel Ricardo 9,000 of a second away from him Alonzo on an out laap gazley on an out laap slies oh my word Oscar pastri flirting once again with the gravel and that is a few centimeters away from turning into a much bigger moment he loves a bit of gravel on a Larry flying lap doesn't he Oscar piastri ringing the neck out of the McLaren desperate to get a Time on on the board that's going to count and keep him safe in the last 2 and 1 half minutes M spray out of the back of the cars as they hit the brakes for the bus stop Ricardo is neck and neck with Perez through two sectors over the line comes Oscar pastri might have brushed the gravel good enough for second place with the fastest final sector of anyone in the session so far Daniel Ricardo trying to heat the pressure on Sergio Perez he openly wants his seat maybe this season definitely next he takes the vub into the final chicane of the RAC trke that's turn 19 nothing left to do but go up through the gears foot to the floor looking for the lap time good enough for six for Daniel Ricardo so Perez is in the drop zone currently by just 6,000 of a second behind estb oo but czecho is on a lap he's in the middle sector coming through down towards puan right now that was a huge moment for piastri huge big moment for vapen earlier on corrected and piastri straight keeping the gravel everywhere he goes in this European run of races that took him last week to his Maiden Grand Prix Victory Supreme skill from all of the drivers so far to keep it sliding Dancing On The Edge but on the track and able to improve with every lap as the track seems to still get better in spite of some persistent drizzle here's Perez through the middle sector he's improving up by half a second that huge rear wing on the Red Bull so efficient in the downforce that it generates and it's given him a margin if he can pick his breaking point and the final corners of the lap the longest one of the Year L stroll is on for an improvement so is Pierre gazley so is the driver who's our main story with under a minute to go Perez needing to not just get into the top 10 but to LEAP up into the top 10 with others pushing behind and he's done so up to Fourth position for the Mexican driver and that should book him into Q three Hamilton and Russell are both under pressure everyone in the drop zone is improving apart from VRI botas who's about to start a flying lap right now his stroll at the end of his flying lap through the bus stop getting it stopped and now keeping a bit of margin to that curb to get some traction to the line there's nowhere near enough for lant so stroll having found the barrier in fp3 finds himself with a Time Improvement but not a positional Improvement EST on than the fastest first sector of anyone so far we are Focus fusing now on the drivers making their way through in the final part now you can see Aon and gazley both needing a lap time to improve and across the line comes es B oon up to Fourth position that's a lap time when he was under big pressure to deliver it let's look at what his teammate can do he goes up to seventh both Mercedes in the drop zone provisionally because they're both improving as well this is another part of qualifying where you've got to hook it up on the final tour the checker flag is out George Russell hits the breaks for the final corner at the bus stop once again making it neat to the Apex this has been a much better lap and look how quick Hamilton is as well when it really matters Russell over the line to second position Hamilton will try and respond also an improvement for Fernando Alonzo in the drop zone is Alex Alvin but everyone in that drop zone is on for a personal best it's going to be about the stopwatch over the line Lando Norris has just gone past the start finish position and he goes into fourth place Hamilton currently in the drop zone currently heading out has he delivered a lap around Spar where he's a four-time winner that's good enough the answer is yes he's up to second place and now what can we see Ricardo is out in this part of qualifying who's going to join him Alonzo up to fifth Signs Now in the drop zone charlot Clair pushing on Alvin finds a time good enough for ninth the Ferraris need a reply so gazley is out Ricardo is out strolls not doing enough either can Carlos SS Le upup and can Char Clair yes he can Char Clair goes to Fifth and now in the drop zone trying to get out of it Carlos signs who does it and Perez has made it through or has he no we look and Bas can't punish the red ball Sergio Perez makes it through by 3,000 of a second Alex Elba misses out by fine margins once again gazley goes Ricardo goes botas was short by 3/10 of a second and Lance stroll and the Aston Martin team did well to make the session we have our top 10 shootout two red bulls in it by three thousand of a second he wouldn't have want to cut it any finer than that but Perez is into the top 10 in qualifying and now he can reset once again he will start ahead of his teammate then for the race with the staing taking that 10 Place grip penalty I cannot tell you how close the entire field in that part of qualifying was you had 14 of them okay stroll was another second further back and struggling ason Martin repairing his crash car from practice earlier on and didn't seem quite uh at the races in this qualifying uh two parts that we've had so far but the 14 other drivers were within less than a second in these Dam slippery conditions around the longest lap of the year the field is just so close and Alburn will be gutted to miss out there 3,000 away from Perez close to doing more heroics than the Williams it would have been just the fourth visit to Q3 for Alex Alber not to be [Applause] and gazi knows the chance was there his teammate took that chance in ninth position but gazley is out in the second part of qualifying so frustration for him but the drive is eliminated Alex Alin Pierre gazley Daniel Ricardo valry botas and Lance stroll everyone putting in a personal best at the end there and it mattered and hardly anything separating The crucial 10th and 11th placees 3,000 of a second between Perez and Alban and the Williams driver got close not close enough we have our top 10 for the shootout for pole position B stappen Hamilton Russell SS pastri mclair alonsa Norris okon and perz how hard is it to try and predict what's going to happen in this final part this it from Alvin it was a good lap I can see it from here we're just not quite there with carace really well done there conditions but not missing much a was only aund quicker than perz as well around that drop zone it was just incredibly tight and Alvin on the uh on the wrong end of that James vals on the radio to him there kind of s in the blow as we look at the comparison of track dominance between Perez and Alvin there you go you got a graphic there you had a track graphic as well yeah come on man let's improve our WR [Applause] plan so Perez gets the fight in the top 10 shootout remember he's been second in the Grand Prix here for the last couple of years so he's had good form around this circuit as well uh in his before Red Bull days Midfield days if you like when he his objective at the start of the weekend was just to chase a Podium he started his high fourth on the grid and then you get into the Red Bull that's the expectation week in week out but he's in Q3 and he will be the lead red B on the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix because of that 10 Place drop for the world championship leader Max how high can he get that leading Red Bull on the grid tomorrow is the next question we about to see if missed out by 10th and a half from getting through he's very frustrated here's on the break to [Music] l i me that was okay the rear was coming around but he caught it without losing much time fighting the uh the rear grip which so many drivers are doing okay let's check in and have a deeper dive with Alex brundle in the studio guys some immense uh on the-fly engineering going on to try to keep up with the conditions here in q1 McLaren expected the rain to come early sent Lando Norris out charged up to push on lap one and deliver the rain then didn't come throughout that session and they had to completely change their run plan in order to get that McLaren through part of why they ended up boxing to change tires was for that reason George Russell came in in the middle of that session for a flap adjust and a tire pressure change because they had so much movement going on through the rear of that Mercedes the eventual lap though he delivers is outstanding you can see him still with the movement that we saw on the international feed on the exit Russell moves towards the car and the car with the tire change uh the tire pressure change and the flap adjust moves towards Russell now he's got traction through the exit of turn nine that Mercedes always had the highp Speed stability but where it was moving about for both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton through this middle seor of the lap now just absolutely on tender hooks that MC it's so critical as the track moves forward and back between the wet and dry conditions and beautiful to watch these engineering teams and these drivers hook up the rear of the cars so much of this Q3 session is going to be about who has that grip and balance with the track conditions as they are whatever they are for the final qualifying portion thank you Alex Q forming up at the end of the pit Lane as we anticipate Q3 with a uh a different a really different set of conditions all the way through it looks murky out there but we're attacking on to set the grid for the top 10 to the Belgium ground TR The Used Tires there on Carlos SS's Ferrari the same for alono a Martin the gr taken out of the inas in the central part of the tire is it good that I'm ahead of everyone or depends what this R does Hamilton ask you on the radio is a good thing I inan this part of the queue depending on what the rain does is the story of this hour everyone's been responding to what it might do and then having to deliver under the pressure of the clock at the end there's an element of Randomness if it starts to rain the rain gets heavier you want to be the first driver to start the lap but as we saw with with Norris in q1 as uh Alex just spoke about if it rains sort of 3 minutes in and you're actually getting the worst of the track and everyone else is going to have the dry pting you don't want to be the first one exploring the conditions here it's certainly murky the driz is persistent at the moment we're not going to get anywhere near a slip tie with the the rain coming down again so that part of the equation is out but what do they do with a new set of intermediates to throw at this in the shortest part of the session what do they do with the engine modes as well to make sure they've got everything singing at the optimum moment and there's still the unknown thread of the rain getting heavier and the grip level being taken away just looking at the condition of the tires on board with Lando Norris who's trying to complete what he's started in 2021 around this circuit where he was very quick in uh q1 Q2 found the barriers in Q3 lost a chance to take pole position he's trying to go back to back in Formula 1 pole positions and he's only taken remember three in his Formula 1 career so it would be a special one if he can get there also a reminder for you that maxen has this 10 Place drop so wherever he qualifies is going down 10 places he will be in contended so strong in the middle part of the lap so far but it's delivering now with the times reset in the final part of qualifying where it's 10 and a half minutes to go Lewis Hamilton was questioning his positioning on the race it over it was very very uh slippery surface at the start of this hour the Formula 1 running has developed a dry line but I'm hearing in my ear there is rain being reported at turn eight that is the revage corner it is an extremity at thep top of the RAC trck it's basically running up against a perimeter wall there so the rain is coming from that direction it could be Cru short to deliver on these first flying laps and leis Hamilton a four-time winner of the Belgian Grand Prix trying to get himself back into the mix give himself a chance to win his second Grand Prix of the season tomorrow that's his aim as he descends down the hill to some of the best corners of the Season let's see what he can do through a Rouge [Music] still flat out just losing a bit of speed as he just literally points the Mercedes towards the sky at the top of oo but still got the grip to keep it his foot in there W get a second of time on the board he's going to be the first person to lay down the Benchmark for everyone behind the two Ferraris were spotted on a used tire Perez is also on a used tire at this stage as is alono and Aon the two Mercedes the two McLarens have just happen all gunning it on new boots straight away let's see if there's grip at turn number eight where an intensity of of rain has been reported Hamilton able to rotate the car so he's through that challenge and now he's descending down all the way back to go for home this is pong Corner as Hamilton tries to find that Miles hour and look for that break point to the bus stop Hamilton sliding a lot at the rear he's not slow with it he's quicker than his teammate by a couple of TS in the middle sector fastest driver through the first part of this racetrack estan okon in the Alpine he's been as high as third on the grid here in his previous Formula 1 career he's looking for his best start of the season first of all though Hamilton across the line time to beat A40 George Russell will be the first to respond let's see what he can do and he is behind his teammate by over two10 of a second asri into the bus stop he's done the fastest middle sector so far Norris has not been quite at it so far in the in the qualifying hour the asri comes through it go second only a fraction away from Hamilton Norris has been a bit slower through two second as we see okon complete a lap not bad for estan okon and then there's Lando trying to scramble to the get on the throttle what can he do up to Fourth position but by his goes a great lap from Sergio Perez he's delivered nicely there with the pressure on what about the man who's going to take a 10 Place drop though what sort of lap is it look at that from Max just Sten the lead car out there by six t of a second and everyone has a breather everyone backs off after putting one flying lap on the board we're almost halfway through Q3 and Red Bull lay down a marker they're running a bit more downforce than most and it's paying off in these slippery conditions Max throwing the car we've seen that a few times through stavo one towards the exit this is working out a dreamy scenario just happen to be starting 11th right now piastri tell you he was quite quick in the middle sector considering he would have lost a chunk of time with that slot then he came around and found the gravel in typical pastry form out of F I tell you what every single push lap for Oscar fiastri features a moment with the gravel at the moment rain is reported in the pit Lane you can see it there uh coming down harder will that bake in the order that we've got trying to respond to that and go immediately after a cool down lap Mercedes they're not going to come back in they're going to push on again is the information that we've got with rain potentially falling harder yeah they're wise to looking at the intensity of the rain there Landing in the pit Lane so Hamilton was the first driver to get a Time on the board and he's going to be the first driver to get a second time on the board as well Aon has pitted Hamilton goes again and he wants to improve on his third that will of course be second it'll be a front row of the grid as things stand for Lewis Hamilton with the staff is starting 11th but if you sent to Red Bull they could have Max starting 11th with Norris only fifth pastri only third this is a golden opportunity it's because Perez has stepped up in a difficult situation difficult conditions today Sergio Perez is on provisional poll as things stand it would only be a fourth career Poll for Sergio Perez but what a turnaround it would be after the difficulty in mixed conditions in recent races after finding the barrier in Budapest Perez looking at pole unless some of the best drivers in the world can find a step forward and Perez is in the pits so Perez will not get the right of reply for staff's in the pits as well 4 and a half minutes to go is there an improvement out there it looks like it's personal best territory for Hamilton until he got to turn number eight and can he find any more from these intermediate tires does the track have the grip still fighting the rear tires through the the tricky combinations up at Lake CM malmy down the hill towards riage tracks drying out in this part when there's higher speed there's more load and you clear the the moisture off the circuit more a personal best as it stands for Lewis Hamilton Oscar pastri George Russell and Lando Norris they did a call out they pushed again others have taken a different approach including Red Bull and including Ferrari if it rains with more intensity now staying out would have been the right choice still a long way back from vasten but can anyone get into a position to inherit Pole Position when vapen takes that penalty yeah beating Perez is the important bit right now as Hamilton gets it in at the bus stop there's a big big 610th window for someone a try and fill can Hamilton find the time as he comes over the line ah he improves his lap time but not good enough to take the place what can we see in the background from the McLaren of Oscar piastri nothing nothing in that final sector George Russell again Improvement a lap time but stays in fifth position what about Lando Norris he's the final question mark for the drivers who did a push then a cool out then a push again Lando Norris gets ahead of his teammate up to Fourth position that's important it becomes third later on as it stands out laps for the Ferraris for Fernando Alonzo for estan okon and for the man who has been mighty around here so far Max sta rll took a risk by pitting both drivers as the rain was still coming down and now they creep out of the pit Lane they've got an easy 2 minutes 40 seconds to get round to start a flying lap they don't need to take anything too much out of the intermediates and they'll have a new tire on their cars for one last last flying lap Ferrari have done the same they run a used tire in the first part of of qualifying there as did the two behind them Alonzo and okon so they're all going to get one last flyer on a new tire and that staying out didn't really work for most of those uh other drivers there Norris the only one that really benefited leaping ahead of his teammate and George Russell getting himself back in towards contention on provisionally a second row lockout for McLaren there's hu bird the race engineer for Sergio Perez Perez is delivering under the pressure of trying to keep his seat for this season and next season this was the big question ahead of the qualifying hour when you know the staffen won't be the lead car on the grid could Perez step forward and the answer so far is yes but in the last couple of years Max aaen has also taken a penalty after this qualifying hour the two drivers to inherit pole position in the last couple of years Carlos SS and charl lir the stappen came through in the Grand Prix to reclaim first place that he had at the end of the qualifying hour by the end of the Grand Prix but Ferrari now trying to put the pressure on trying to get ahead of Perez that's the aim for them because no one seems to have an answer to Max a stappen in the qualifying hour last lap har coming up and science didn't look like he could get the throttle down very well coming out of lasource was fighting the car and then you heard the wheel speed just the rev's pick up as the rear wheel started spinning so science struggling in this first sector leair just behind him on circuit and making more inroads so signs inside that 6/10 of a second window also a reminder Perez will get another chance at the end he's ready to go sign's really pushing the extremity of the racetrack that's a really ugly lap so far from sights he's just fighting the car so much rain possibly increasing is the uh the r message of of Lando Norris and still s is on the Ragged Edge he's fighting it at every single Apex good opening sector for charlot Clair only marginally behind Max a stappen this is po on Corner still dry and we can tell that because he's still got the grip one Ferrari pushing on in your main pitcher we're on board with sha lir on the left hand side of your screen lair's got a great Target to aim at here on a fresh intermediate towards the uh the second half of the lap s is the the driver in main shot coming through the middle sector he's not on a great lap he's already down on more than uh the ven than everyone ahead of him on the leaderboard but lir is going quicker and this is a really tidy lap from Charla Clair Charla Clair when it matters is in Touching distance of the front row can he get ahead of Perez and force Perez to respond if he wants that fourth career pole position because aaen might be fastest at the end of the qualifying hour but he will take a penalty first Ferrari over the line is Carlos signs where can he go in the classification he stays where he is charlot Clair much better much cleaner around this racetrack at this time can he get ahead of Perez yes and that would be provisional pole position and Perez is not on a good lap Perez is not going well on this final tour the sten's got a chance to improve it won't matter I don't think anyone will beat him but I don't think Perez can improve at no stage of this weekend did Charla clir look like being the driver who could pick up the pieces when maxus Sten had a 10 Place penalty and yet the one laap master has found a way to the front into the field the stappen is going to underline his superiority he'll finish top at the end of the qualifying hour with the fastest final sector of anyone he just misses out but the fastest time at the end of the hour is a 153 159 it looked like Sergio Perez was going to be able to find a reply but he wasn't able to do so and Sh Clair's last gasp lap takes him to an inherited Pole Position unless Perez can find something Mighty and it's not going to happen he will start on the front row tomorrow it will be sha clir once again on Formula 1 Poll for their 25th time in his career a marvelous lap from lir 11,000 there was not much there separating lir and Perez it's lir on pole Perez second it's not an easy track to be on pole is the caveat I don't think perz will be too disappointed starting second there's a huge run in dry through o Rouge up the chemel straight to try and take the lead away from lir there's plenty of opportunity there for Perez but there a big moment for Ferrari after a bit of a slump in recent Races they don't seem to have the pace in dry conditions if lir can hang on to a Podium tomorrow that would be a fine result with the way their season's going but this was a great laugh and it gives them a bit of a boost they had slipped back thanks to an update that they brought in Spain not working there is the master of this racetrack today today he will try and come roaring back through the field like he has done in recent times both of his Belgian Grand Prix wins have been outside of the top five of the grid he'll try and do it again tomorrow excellent session hold on look forward to tomorrow so we call that at kind of again here well up Max that was uh absolutely brilliant all three uh all three sessions so first part of it done so uh super job checko on the front row yeah but the guys um yeah let's see what we can do tomorrow but today was a very good day well done everyone and also big thank you to all the Mechanics for working so late last live great job thank you very much it's uh yeah really appreciate it there never in doubt for just Sten so fast in these conditions the Red Bull car more suited to the slippery conditions with their their more down for setup that they've got and they have the driver to make the most of it whenever it rains not least around this circuit so the stappen has got job done to start 11th and Red Bull will look around and see no McLaren pulling up in park F here alongside them and think this is brilliant best case scenario for the team that is closest to them in the Constructors Championship and the team that has had a competitive car everywhere we've been but at the end of the hour it is Max a stappen P1 and he's had some enormous margins around this racetrack in recent times end of the qualifying hour last 3 years uh 2022 2 6/10 of a second 2023 8/10 of a second ahead of P2 this is and 2024 very nearly 6/10 of a second uh he started 14th in 2022 6th in 2023 and he will try and come roaring through the field once again from 11th on the grid tomorrow seems obvious given what he's done in recent years here but Red Bull haven't had things easy for the last few races but around this circuit Max is so hooked up the higher down Force might not make things easy on a straight line but through that middle sector he'll be rapid he will still be hoping to win the race tomorrow McLaren will be more competitive in dry conditions they've Trimm the car out more they're going to have good top speed as uh charlot Clair will look on and realize that he's going to start from Pole Position McLaren are going to be a threat Perez has got a golden opportunity as well and Red Bull need that they need czecho to start scoring he's done the job today charlot Clair looking on having secured a 25th Formula 1 Pole Position poll position who lines up on Grand Prix Sunday at the front of the field it will be him after the penalty for Max aaen it's his second pole of the season the other time he's been on poll this year he won there and that was back in Monaco a great performance to deliver at the end there and Ferrari will be so pleased they made the call to come in for the new tires and they delivered at the end there so the strategy holding up when it mattered and it's for stappen mclair and Perez in the top three but staffen will drop back and Charla Clair Sergio Perez will find themselves on the front row Lewis Hamilton will find himself in third next to Lando kns strategy was good for Ferrari but lir was the only driver to make a sensible Improvement of those four that went at the end SS didn't find enough time the staffen was pretty much on the same Pace as he had done before Perez couldn't improve lir delivered it looking there at the three cars in park F and we can now hear down in the pit Lane with the top three speaking to Billy monk jeo Perez a good qualifying for you there P free but you line up second on the grid for tomorrow race with your teammates penalty how was it out there for you yeah it was very tricky uh at times um obviously as always you know in these conditions uh it's so easy for it to go wrong as it's been going in the last few qualifying in these conditions and um yeah I mean it was good to to finally uh put it together unfortunately we didn't have any new tires for Q3 um we were a bit out of sync in Q2 so we were also quite lucky to made it in P10