Top Gear new series from Television Centre

She didn't. She said the presenters and production team wanted to dedicate the episode to her after she died "after this programme was recorded".

Strange to do it via the CA rather than the conventional b/w photo with dates caption after the programme, unless she's involved in this episode in some way.

I think it would seem odd them introducing the episode without referencing it so the CA just tried to pre-empt the keyboard warriors.

Tribute slide at the end of the programme ‘In Memory of Sabine Schmitz’

I assume they filmed all of these TVC links in one session for the entire series?

They were filmed apparently over two evenings at Television Centre.

Considering there is barely 5 minutes of links in an episode I'm surprised it took that long. I assume usually in the studio and at the drive in they did they show the audience the films, but that would have been trickier in the donut I'd have thought.

I was involved with the 2019 series at Dunsfold. The 'Star in a Car' track bits were shot during the morning. The audience were shoved into the 'studio' at 13:30, recording started at 14:00 hrs, and ended 17:30 to 18:00 ish. The audience were more or less shown the films in the same order as the final transmitted version.

They didn’t have any audience at TVC, did they?

Just production and people watching from their windows in the flats overlooking the donut

Be fair, I think McGuinness is doing alright.

What soaks up the time?
I know in the Clarkson/Hammond/May years, the news segment could run to well over half an hour, and Jeremy with the right guest could use up another 30 minutes - but for something which is pretty much a 6 link recording and showing the inserts, 3 1/2+ hours to record really does seem overly excessive. It's not like there are tricky camera angles to set up, and a set restrike halfway through.