00:00 It feels very different.
00:02 The steering compared to yesterday.
00:04 Copy that.
00:06 And I hope that's in a positive way for George Russell,
00:10 because it was vibrations not of the good kind.
00:12 Exactly. So that's nice.
00:14 There's a big bump there, and the problem is if you go over that,
00:16 it just unsettles the car, and it's not set up when you hit the brakes.
00:19 And it's very easy to lock the wrist.
00:21 You mean after Turn 4 before Turn 5?
00:24 Yes, that's a lot easier.
00:25 That's the daddy what you're talking about.
00:26 After Turn 4...
00:27 Oh, he's just hit the barrier.
00:28 That's a big one. That is a big one for Bottas.
00:31 You can see the suspension's gone, and he has parked at Rascasse.
00:36 And, well, he might as well just stay there, I think.
00:39 He's going nowhere.
00:40 That is going to need recovering.
00:41 There is nowhere to recover it to, apart from the pit lane,
00:44 if they can push it that way.
00:45 And I think we've got a red flag. We have.
00:47 That doesn't surprise me at all.
00:49 It is so, so easy to do something like that.
00:51 I am amazed, given how many times we saw cars hit the wall yesterday,
00:55 that's the first front suspension we've seen go.
00:58 So, I was doing a talk yesterday for some guests,
01:01 and they were asking, you know,
01:02 what's the procedure that drivers go through with this track?
01:05 How do you build yourself up?
01:06 I said, the time when you're going to see crashes happen is usually FP3.
01:11 Yeah.
01:12 Because that's when you start pushing the limits more and more.
01:14 He's trying to get this thing round, but the steering's got a mind of its own.
01:17 That's not going to tear, is it?
01:18 No.
01:19 Mind of its own.
01:20 Oh.
01:21 And the problem was, he had a snap of oversteer exiting the swimming pool,
01:25 and the rear then hit the barrier first and took the front into the barrier afterwards.
01:30 So, it's kind of like slapped itself into the barrier, the front end at the end.
01:35 Let's have a look at the accident here.
01:38 And it's just on the exit.
01:42 Now.
01:43 Yeah.
01:44 It was like right rear, right front, followed it in.
01:47 No strange, it didn't look that hard, did it, compared to all the hits we've seen?
01:52 No, it didn't.
01:53 No, not at all.
01:54 The rear.
01:55 The rear, it was.
01:57 It was just the wrong angle, I'm guessing.
01:59 Oh.
02:00 Now, it's important that he can get that back to the pit lane under his own steam if he can,
02:04 because then they can work on it.
02:05 Yeah, that was a big punishment for a small mistake, really.
02:08 For the teammates, of course.
02:10 And it's just making sure that he can get past, and the marshals allow him to get past,
02:16 he doesn't want to get into trouble for overtaking under a red flag,
02:19 even though Valtteri Bottas is clearly in trouble and there's a problem with his car.
02:22 I'm not sure he can find first gear.
02:25 He got into reverse easily.
02:26 Yeah, he did.
02:27 But getting back into first seems to be an issue.
02:28 A 19.2 for the first sector for Max Verstappen, fastest we've seen so far.
02:33 Middle sector was a 35.0, four tenths down, Nico Hülkenberg,
02:37 who has the fastest middle sector currently.
02:40 Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon keep out of Max Verstappen's way.
02:44 In the final sector now, where he excelled this time last year in qualifying
02:49 to grab that pole position, crosses the line only fifth fastest
02:54 and six tenths off the pace currently being set by Nico Hülkenberg.
02:57 This time around, as we watch Kevin Magnussen have a lock-up into Mirabeau.
03:02 Oh, that was brave.
03:04 Brave and skillful at the same time.
03:06 Or he just closed his eyes.
03:08 So close to the right-hand barrier, wasn't he?
03:11 We both know how hard that is.
03:12 Coming up at him quickly.
03:14 Hamilton has stopped down by the chapel at Saint-Devote on the run-off area.
03:18 Now you can try and spin the car around, or you can reverse, as he is doing now.
03:23 We used it earlier on with Bottas, so just proving it works.
03:27 Yeah.
03:28 He's getting plenty of practice at reversing today.
03:30 That was nice.
03:31 That was dead, mate. Dead, dead.
03:33 Control, and this is the lock-up for Hamilton, saying his tyres are dead.
03:38 And I'm not surprised, because that was a fairly hefty lock-up.
03:41 He's ready for the bin, isn't he?
03:42 Yeah, he only just got that stop, didn't he, before touching the barrier with the front of the car.
03:47 We're on board with Max Verstappen at the start of the traffic jam through to back.
03:52 So he was pushing, wasn't he?
03:54 He was on a-- not a complete flyer, but he's really angry that the drivers around him are not getting out of the way.
04:02 I personally think this is worse than what qualifying will be,
04:05 because I think they'll all go out at the same time in qualifying, because they don't want this mess.
04:08 Having someone fast lap, someone slow, it really does make it difficult.
04:12 Now, this is Magnussen, Hülkenberg and Sonoda.
04:16 Uh, it's OK. That was dangerous.
04:22 He's got the traction when he wants it, and I feel like that's where he's winning quite a bit of lap time.
04:28 Signs holds on to the final party sector.
04:31 Leclerc goes fastest overall.
04:34 What about Oskar Piastri, then? How big was his lock-up?
04:37 Well, that was a classic.
04:40 I'm going to bail out of this, because I'm not sure I'm going to make it.
04:43 Safety first maneuver.
04:44 But he had to bail out very late.
04:47 Still pretty tight, but before coming into this weekend,
04:50 I just naturally expected the McLaren from their recent form to be even stronger here.
04:55 But do you remember McLaren have said consistently, slow speed corners are not necessarily our strength.
05:01 Albeit they went on to do rather well in Miami with a few slow speed corners there.
05:07 And winning the race.
05:09 Joe Guanyu, Sergio Perez was not best pleased with.
05:18 And hurtling at full speed around to back, and then he's just put his brakes on there.
05:24 Now we can see the humor.
05:26 Alonso just zeroing in on the perfect setup.
05:31 And what could that mean for Aston Martin?
05:34 You know, almost won here of course last year.
05:36 How close do you think to the front?
05:38 Solid lap.
05:39 I mean, I know where I can gain time, but it's just not possible.
05:44 You know why.
05:46 Yep, understood.
05:48 We've got 18 minutes to go here in Monaco.
05:52 Fernando Alonso has gone fastest through the middle sector.
05:58 Let's just follow him to the end of this lap.
06:00 It was a round Rascasse goes.
06:02 Just one more corner.
06:03 Anthony Nogues just comes off that banking.
06:07 The little curve back really nicely for Alonso.
06:10 And crosses the line a tenth down on Charles Leclerc.
06:14 Sergio Perez thinks the Ferraris are too far out of reach.
06:18 Well, that's what he was saying yesterday.
06:19 He's a second down in tenth.
06:21 Fernando Norris going through the tunnel.
06:25 And there's an incident involving...
06:28 Idiots these blokes.
06:30 All of them.
06:31 Not all of them, just some of them.
06:34 I won't ask you to name which ones are and aren't.
06:36 Or what are your mates?
06:41 Well, is he accusing his mate George Russell of being an idiot there?
06:45 I think this is the moment that's been investigated, no?
06:48 That was a session, yeah?
06:49 That was a dangerous one as well, wasn't it?
06:51 Coming out of the tunnel.
06:52 You're blinded by the light when you come out of there.
06:55 You can't see a car.
06:57 Wrapped up like a deuce, as they say.
07:01 Oscar Piastri raising the barrier.
07:04 Norris up there.
07:05 And Sinoders popped himself up there as well in front of Hamilton.
07:09 Whilst Russell being up to a little bit of a lock-up into Saint-Laurent.
07:13 And doesn't look quite as comfortable in the car today, I must say.
07:16 In FP3 as he did at the end of FP2.
07:22 Super close to the wall.
07:24 It looks a little bit weaker than the Ferrari in that area.
07:27 But he's driven a really nice lap here to go second fastest.
07:31 And do we think Oscar Piastri is going to get points this weekend?
07:35 Points? Yeah.
07:36 He's going to finish fourth or eighth.
07:39 Because that's what he's finished in the points this year.
07:42 Only in Miami has he finished outside the points.
07:44 He's finished fourth or he's finished eighth.
07:46 He has been super consistent in that.
07:48 Okay, Crofty. We'll believe the stats when they come true.
07:52 George Russell just nicked fourth from him.
07:54 I just get the feeling he's going to need three tenths in his pocket
07:57 coming into the final sector to try and get pole today.
08:00 Max Verstappen.
08:01 Unless they can sort out those final sector deficiencies.
08:04 That wasn't as bad as it has been.
08:07 On board now with Lewis Hamilton.
08:08 Verstappen, by the way, nine laps he's done on those particular tyres.
08:12 Hamilton is three laps on these particular tyres.
08:17 Just looks like with Hamilton, what got him into trouble earlier on
08:20 when he had that mistake in the exit of the swimming pool
08:22 was the rear coming around on braking in medium speed corners.
08:26 And he goes P3, but I feel like the car could be better.
08:29 I feel like he needs a bit more stability as he's braking and turning in.
08:32 So he's right on board with the RB of Yuki Tsunoda going into the tunnel.
08:37 Oh, so dangerous.
08:38 In the tunnel, I was going outside, I don't know any crash into the wall.
08:43 Could be a weird report.
08:47 Did he think the Red Bull was going to step out a little bit more then?
08:51 You just don't know where they're going to go.
08:53 And it's a bit unfair to force a driver, I feel, to go around the outside.
08:57 Yeah.
08:58 Not on the racing line through the tunnel.
09:00 Well, squealing.
09:02 We saw that.
09:03 Through Sandoval.
09:04 It was in 2004 with Fernando.
09:06 Yeah.
09:07 He had to drive offline and put it in the wall while leading, I think he was.
09:11 I think we got a visor cam shot of what happened to Verstappen
09:16 when he was on a pretty decent lap and then suddenly hit the M25 before Rascas.
09:22 And it was his teammate Sergio Perez that was the one in the way.
09:25 Look, Perez here goes round the outside.
09:27 Oh, my gosh.
09:29 I'm expecting a lot of radio messages from Max Verstappen today,
09:36 starting with "Mate".
09:39 I like this, how the Alpine thought,
09:41 "I'll do the right thing by taking to the inside of the exit of the swimming pool"
09:44 and then actually just joined Perez side by side on the exit,
09:48 completely blocking the track.
09:51 But you've got to be prepared for that, and the teams will be.
09:54 And that's why they fuel the cars for multiple laps around here.
09:58 Yeah, we've got a lot of work to do. The car is nowhere.
10:04 It's a beautiful craft out on the Mediterranean.
10:06 The wind is very much in Charles Leclerc's sails
10:09 when it comes to the two miles of this Monaco street circuit.
10:12 Finished up about two tenths ahead of Max Verstappen,
10:16 going for that record nine consecutive pole positions in a couple of hours time.
10:20 Lewis Hamilton, third fastest for Mercedes.
10:22 Then came Piastri and Perez, four different constructors in the top four.
10:27 Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, George Russell got a bit of work to do
10:31 against their teammates, as has Perez.
10:34 Sunoda in the top ten, along with Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin.
10:38 Valtteri Bottas, the big loser in that particular session,
10:42 damaged his front right suspension, had to sit most of it out.
10:45 He has not got any experience on those soft compound tyres really on this qualifying day.
10:51 Luckily for Valtteri, he's got plenty of experience around this track
10:54 and got the front row here in 2019.
10:57 Who's going to get that today? We'll return shortly and find out.
11:01 [Music]
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