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Hello and a very warm welcome to the late breaking F1 podcast presented by Sam Sage and me, Ben Hocking.

Reviewing today qualifying at the Japanese GP, a qualifying session that found Antonelli get his pole position, the same pole position that he got, of course,

at the Chinese GP a couple of weekends ago.

It's a Mercedes front row lockout once more

with George Russell about three-tenths of a second back.

McLarens and Ferraris seemingly pretty close, Sam.

What did you make of that, Qualley?

I am dead inside.

Qualifying is so rubbish.

I'm sorry, it's so rubbish.

Anticlimatic.

I found myself, usually I'm phoned down, unless I'm looking at our Discord.

Three minutes within the end of the session, I was looking at my phone just scrolling through

Instagram.

It's just not captivating me at the moment.

And I know they'd made some changes with the Megachul allowance to try, you know, stop cars

clipping and things, but seeing cars go down 50k pH at 130R, lifting off all the way through

turn one. Where's the thrill, man? Charlotte Clorag had one oversteer moment. But apart from that,

it's just a bit dull for qualifying, especially at this track as Suzuki, almost one of the kings of qualifying. I'm more impressed. You should have told me that you were looking at your phone with three minutes ago. I'd kicked off by saying something else happened. Like, oh man, that Pierre Ghazley pole position, Sam, what do you make of that? I love the idea that at three minutes ago, I have no idea who's got a pole position. That's how it works. It's good. Yeah. No, it's Kimmy Antonelli, who's grabbed the pole position for this Grand Prix. The only driver in the one minute 28th. Again, his teammate, George Russell, on the front row of the grid.

Oscar Piastri, he won't start the race, but he's qualified third at least.

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