Jebriel Dandan and Seifeddine Malas died when their car crashed on Sydney’s M4 motorway in January 2023.

Malas, a probationary driver at the wheel of an Audi sports sedan, was being pursued by police when he lost control, crashing through a guardrail and careening down a slip lane at high speed.

The sedan came to rest on its roof on the motorway before catching alight in Homebush West.

Footage taken from the police car chasing the two second cousins minutes before the crash was made public by the NSW Coroners Court.

The clip shows limited visibility as the cars speed down Centenary Drive north towards the M4.

The officers are seen accelerating around a bend, reaching speeds of around 165km/h to keep up with the Audi in the distance.

At times during the pursuit, the cars exceed 200 km/h while passing a truck and other vehicles.

The exact moment of the car crash and fire was not played to the court or released to the public.

Coroner Joan Baptie is investigating the actions of the police driver, Senior Constable Peter Miliadis, and his partner, Constable Martin Williams, during the chase.

The two officers did not immediately turn on their lights and sirens after seeing the speeding Audi, the cousins’ inquest has been told.

Instead, they chose to conduct a speed check by maintaining a set distance behind the other car for nine seconds.

The coroner is also assessing whether the police decision not to alert Malas, aged 25, and Dandan, aged 24, to their presence sooner was appropriate.

Counsel assisting Surya Palaniappan told the inquest in May that the speeds driven by the police were “excessive”.

Sen Const Miliadis was cleared of unsafe driving in July 2023 after an internal safe driving review conducted by police.

On Monday, Sergeant Grant Howell, who authored the incident review, testified that he believed conducting a speed check instead of immediately activating lights and sirens was the right call during the pursuit.

However, Oussama Elfawal, the solicitor for the victims’ families, argued that the officers prioritized “stealth over safety” in the high-speed chase.

Malas had history driving at excessive speeds, the inquest was told.

At the time of his death, he was subject to a three-year licence disqualification after being spotted by police driving 176km/h in an 80km/h zone in June 2022.

He had been sentenced to a nine-month intensive community order and 100 hours of community service for driving dangerously.

He was due to back in court for an appeal the day after he died, January 24.

The inquest has been told the men died from the impact of the car crash, before the vehicle was engulfed by fire.