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00:00There are a lot of corners here where getting in, getting through and getting out are absolutely crucial to what comes next.
00:06Not the least, turn 10, where we see a lot of drivers locking up, and Charles Leclerc is the latest to slide.
00:12Here's Pirelli Mediums into that left-hander.
00:14But I think, just going back to McLaren, I think this is now a car, the track temperature now 35 degrees.
00:22So that's a full 13 degrees cooler than the start of FP1.
00:26Just to give you an idea of how much it drops when the sun drops down.
00:31Turn 1 is a pinch point. We've seen people getting flipped over.
00:35At this corner here.
00:37Yeah.
00:37And here is Verstappen.
00:39So this was again into 9-10, which I really think is one of the hardest braking zones off the calendar.
00:46The riders are bad, the guys jumping a lot.
00:51Let's just have a look.
00:52There's a bump there.
00:53There's a bump there just on entry.
00:54And maybe he's just had to come off the brake pressure.
00:57And then when you put the power down, if you start to get that oversteer, it just carries on sliding.
01:01And rear tires, especially these socks that Russell's on, by that stage, they're pretty hot on a push lap.
01:07Russell comes across the line and goes a third fastest.
01:10Because we see them climbing up the hill just around 180 miles an hour as they come out of that.
01:16Car's going very slowly.
01:18Lots of cars going slowly up the hill.
01:19There's a white flag flying to warn that there's slow cars ahead.
01:26So they've obviously just finished some laps.
01:28And then into this turn four.
01:31Well, that's...
01:33Yeah, here we go.
01:34Yeah.
01:35So Alonso, we're hearing, has got an issue.
01:38We've got a McLaren there.
01:39Lando Norris going in.
01:40Now, that McLaren takes off like a scalded cat out of this corner.
01:46And it's a really strict minimum speed around 85 miles an hour.
01:50But you can see how the camber goes away.
01:54And the back of the car is sliding around.
01:57This is the most immaculate racetrack, even on the inside.
02:02And you can see down here, you think it's sand when you watch it on the TV.
02:06But it's not.
02:06It's actually painted concrete, which is a very good idea.
02:10So it limits the amount of sand we get on the track.
02:13And, of course, we know it's got a really grippy surface here that helps them in the conditions.
02:18We are out in the desert as the Haas pours through the corner.
02:22And we've got this fascinating camera here as well that gives brilliant shots that scans around and just follows the car.
02:31Here it is.
02:32Swap helmet.
02:32Swap that surprise.
02:34And at the moment, you won't see anything on that display.
02:38Last time I remember a driver having a steering wheel come off on the track was Vitaly Petrov.
02:44Do you remember when he got launched into the air in Malaysia?
02:46Yeah.
02:47At Sepang.
02:47As Leclerc goes really wide over the kerb and then gets all shaken up as a result.
02:56You know, even a driver's gifted as Fernando Alonso, that seems quite a thing.
03:00But there you go.
03:02Yeah.
03:02As to Martin say, we had an issue on the steering wheel on Fernando's car, which we're looking to resolve in the garage.
03:08Ted, that resolve hasn't happened yet.
03:11And it's all looking a bit heavy-cavy down here because there was one FIA technical guy down here asking what's going on.
03:19Then all the Aston Martin mechanics have formed a human wall to block anybody from seeing.
03:24We see Russell come out of the final corner and charge up to the timing line.
03:29We'll see if he does an improvement.
03:31Yes, he does.
03:32So Russell now goes top on a 31-9.
03:35So he might have gone wide somewhere and we'll find out in a couple of moments.
03:40George Russell, yeah, sliding around turn four.
03:46It was turn eight where Lewis Hamilton had his moment at the bottom of the hill.
03:50Slow right-hander.
03:51That's Nico Hülkenberg.
03:51Now busy attaching it to the steering rack.
03:54How can you tell?
03:55All I can see is the backs of the crew.
03:58Oh, don't you worry, Crofty.
03:59I can see gaps in bodies.
04:01A whole four-foot-long steering column is pretty difficult to miss when it comes out and they bung a new one in.
04:09You've got to lever that thing in, you know.
04:11So, yeah, I mean, clearly the steering wheel was attached.
04:15Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, not spinning around at turn eight this time, has put in the best middle sector that we've seen on this latest lap.
04:22Now, on the soft compound tire this time, not the medium, Hamilton crosses the line, goes fastest over his former teammate, George Russell, by three one-hundredths of a second.
04:33It is very, very tight between Hamilton and Russell.
04:36That's the only we expected to have.
04:39He was saying, you know, the car's not quite quick enough in a straight line and a bit too draggy still.
04:45But in the corners, it's delivering performance.
04:49All he extracted the lap as Leclerc extracted that lap.
04:52It was a time of a 1.29.348 for the fastest time.
04:57Let's see what Alex Albon can produce for this time, then.
04:59It's not as quick as his teammate managed in testing, but it is the fastest of the night so far.
05:03So, three and a half tenths up, Verstappen now into the final corner, a little bit too deep, I think, there.
05:10So, I think he might lose a bit of time in the last corner.
05:13We'll see.
05:14Well, he didn't set the fastest final sector, but this is a lap that Lando Norris is really hooking up for the McLaren.
05:22And hooking up the perfect lap in qualifying in Japan was not what he or his teammate could do.
05:28And he's nearly seven tenths up.
05:29More often than not in the Mercedes, and we'll talk about him in a moment as we follow.
05:34Oscar Piastri over the line.
05:36Is he going to go fastest?
05:38Yes, he does.
05:38By a tenth and a half.
05:39Driver squad, Felipe Drogovic, former F2 champion, joins us in the commentary box.
05:44Do you ever have problems with helmets lifting?
05:46Hello, Felipe.
05:46Hello.
05:47Good evening.
05:48Oh, good afternoon.
05:49Good day.
05:50Good day.
05:51It is in the UK right now.
05:53Yeah, sometimes we have some problems like that, you know.
05:55It depends quite a lot on the airflow throughout the cockpit.
06:00And sometimes, depending on the airflow, you just get a lot of lift or shaking on the helmet sometimes.
06:06I had a really bad problem with lifting once.
06:08At Paul Ricard, when I was driving in a...
06:10Oh, here we go.
06:11Sorry.
06:12This is Racing Driver, Jack.
06:13Karim, you can sit this one out for a bit.
06:14In a Renault 2.0.
06:17At the beginning, doing aero random stuff that is not interesting for the people watching.
06:24But very interesting for us.
06:25And, yeah, I think...
06:27That last follow is making me very confused.
06:32Yeah, just on test program.
06:34Have you got a plan with Aston for this year?
06:35Are we going to see you...
06:37Well, we're not going to see you doing private testing.
06:38But are you going to see yourself doing some private testing?
06:41Is Brazil going even more passionate for Formula 1?
06:44And especially now, they've got someone on the grid week after week.
06:47Yeah, I think so.
06:48There's so many people following and watching.
06:50And, you know, on social media, they go crazy all the time.
06:54Even too much sometimes, I would say.
06:55But that's great to see, you know, people following and supporting us.
07:00So, it's good.
07:01Yeah, for sure.
07:02My brakes are really not to accelerate it well.
07:05OK, copy.
07:07He's driven the Mercedes.
07:08He's getting some mileage in to be sharp.
07:10I think, if it was me, I'd probably take Valtteri over Sergio.
07:17I just think he gives you a consistency in that respect.
07:21But let's see what happens.
07:22My brakes are really not to accelerate it well.
07:35OK, copy.
07:35So, into the final couple of corners, Max Verstappen was saying that he was having trouble with his brakes.
07:42That's Liam Lawson.
07:43The first of his five poles.
07:45Your handwriting is so small, I can't read it.
07:47That's the idea.
07:48Makes me sound so much cleverer.
07:50But I will say, once again, it's this guy who is my star of the session.
07:53He's been my...
07:54Oh, that's so pretty close there.
07:56Yeah, it's fine, it's fine.
07:58It's feisty.
07:59What is he doing there?
08:01He's holding you up, Isaac.
08:03I have to say, I'm quickly turning into a bit of an Isaac Hajar fan, if I'm honest.
08:09I think he's got a lot of raw pace.
08:11Yeah, he's raw.
08:12Look at a bit of Mr. Egglock.
08:13And, I don't know, I'd like to bet you five Bahraini dinar that it might end up that way,
08:20which is actually worth 55 quid.
08:22I was going to say, it's the second most valuable currency in the world, Ted.
08:25That's a lot of money.
08:25Yeah, I know, it is a lot of money.
08:27So, that we might get, McLaren, McLaren, and then George Russell as a result on Sunday.
08:35Set-up is making all the difference.
08:37So, if your car's gone well in the early part of the season, it should go well here.
08:45How difficult it could have been for Isaac Hajar if he hadn't headed out on the formation lap in Australia.
08:50But, he made up for it all.
08:52George Russell was nearly taking part in the drag race down the drag strip there.
08:56I think they have shown in the last hour just where their dominance might be unless the others can make some changes overnight.
09:07George Russell diving down the inside and then waving to Max Verstappen as he got past.
09:13I think some are better at parking than the others.
09:17And on that bombshell, ladies and gentlemen, we shall conclude this practice session, which was all right, wasn't it, for the McLaren team.
09:25Oscar Piastri with the fastest time overall from his teammate Lando Norris.
09:30Tenth and a half between the two McLaren drivers.
09:33And about three tenths faster than George Russell, third for Mercedes.
09:39Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Isaac Hajar completing the top six.
09:44Max Verstappen still hasn't been in the top six at an FP2 session so far this season.
09:50We move onwards.
09:51Alex Albon just outside the top ten for Williams.
09:54Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoletto.
09:56Jack Dewan and Fernando Alonso completing the top 15.
09:59Alonso with problems with his steering column had to be replaced in the session after his steering wheel came off down to the final corner.
10:06Hülkenberg, the slowest, just under two seconds separating the drivers.
10:10McLaren and Papaya on top here under the lights.