George Russell has taken a controversial pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix after avoiding an investigation for setting his lap time under yellow flag conditions following Max Verstappen’s crash.
The Red Bull driver spun into the barrier at the penultimate corner, benefitting those who had already set their lap or Russell, who was just behind Verstappen as it happened.
Russell confirmed “I lifted at the entry into that corner” and that he “lost a lot of time” under single-waved yellow flags and not double, so he kept his fourth pole of the season.
The Mercedes driver recorded a time of one minute, 06.113 seconds, meaning he will share the front row with Charles Leclerc, who set his one minute, 06.349 seconds before Verstappen’s crash.
The Ferrari driver edged out teammate Lewis Hamilton by 0.059 seconds and the seven-time world champion is set to share the second row with Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli lost out the most by Verstappen’s crash as he was on provisional pole with a time of one minute, 06.414 seconds, but the championship leader aborted his final lap to take fourth position.
Verstappen had produced a brilliant opening Q3 run with one minute, 06.475 seconds, which put him third behind the Mercedes duo, but his crash dropped him to fifth ahead of sixth-placed Lando Norris.
The reigning world champion qualified 0.009 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in seventh, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completing the top ten.
Verstappen had already survived a scare in Q2, having not left his garage for a second push lap based on Red Bull projections that his one minute, 07.183 seconds was good enough to progress.
That was also done to save an extra set of fresh softs, but the four-time world champion still gradually slipped from seventh to tenth, Hadjar and the Racing Bulls pair jumping ahead of him.
As he dropped into P10, Verstappen could do nothing but hope for survival and Pierre Gasly was a threat, being up in the middle sector, but he ended up 0.040 seconds off to take P11.
That put him ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, who was 0.110 seconds off the cut, with Oliver Bearman subsequently in P13 and Nico Hulkenberg in P14.
The under-pressure Esteban Ocon avoided a fourth, consecutive Q1 exit to take P15, while Franco Colapinto qualified P16 to round out a Q2 session topped by Antonelli.
Carlos Sainz suffered from a snap of oversteer at the final corner to only take P17, one position ahead of teammate Alexander Albon in the first Williams double Q1 elimination since China.
Debutant outfit Cadillac once again showed signs of progress as both cars qualified a second ahead of Aston Martin, with Sergio Perez in P19 and Valtteri Bottas taking P20.
That resulted in Aston Martin occupying the back row for the third, consecutive qualifying session, as Fernando Alonso claimed P21 ahead of Lance Stroll, who was three seconds off Antonelli’s Q1 benchmark.
So a dramatic and controversial end to Q3. The Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Hamilton were on the front row. Verstappen pushed too hard and lost control in Turn 9 and crashed his Red Bull. This caused a yellow flag but significantly not double yellow. Russell lifted through this section and yet went through to take pole…
Austrian Grand Prix, qualifying results:
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:06.113
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:06.349
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:06.408
4 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Ferrari 1:06.414
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford 1:06.475
6 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:06.502
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 1:06.511
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull-Ford 1:06.632
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Ford 1:06.955
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford 1:07.007
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes 1:07.223
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:07.293
13 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari 1:07.523
14 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:07.611
15 Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari 1:07.817
16 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes 1:08.171
17 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes 1:08.252
18 Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1:08.509
19 Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari 1:08.945
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari 1:09.030
21 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Honda 1:09.942
22 Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda 1:10.363
Mercedes driver George Russell claimed pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix with a last-gasp Qualifying effort that usurped Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, moments after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dramatically crashed out of Q3.
Drivers were attacking their second and final runs of the pole shootout when Verstappen lost control of his car through Turn 9 and slammed into the barriers, bringing out double yellow flags and threatening to derail plenty of laps.
While Kimi Antonelli – who had held provisional pole after the first Q3 runs – backed off and failed to improve, team mate Russell navigated the yellows (insisting afterwards that he had lifted) to go a couple of tenths quicker than Leclerc and Hamilton, who were ahead of Verstappen on track and also found time.
It leaves Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton and Antonelli as the provisional top four on the grid for Sunday’s race, ahead of Verstappen, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar, and the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
View all standings
Pierre Gasly threatened to push Verstappen into the drop zone at the very end of Q2, but he ultimately missed out by four hundredths of a second in 11th, followed by the Audi and Haas drivers, and Alpine team mate Colapinto, who was seen running wide at Turn 1.
Williams’ challenging season continued via a double Q1 elimination, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon taking P17 and P18 respectively – the Spaniard missing out on a Q2 spot by mere hundredths himself after sliding through the final corner on his last lap.
Just behind them, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas had to make do with P19 and P20 for Cadillac, whose major update package could not propel them further towards F1’s midfield group, admittedly not helped by an incident-filled Friday for the American outfit.
Finally, as expected given their 2026 struggles so far, Aston Martin brought up the rear of the field, with Fernando Alonso beating Lance Stroll to 21st position – both drivers no doubt eager for the team’s promised major developments to be rolled out as soon as possible.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/russell-beats-leclerc-and-hamilton-to-austrian-gp-pole-after-dramatic-late-verstappen-crash.6oiA7Tyo3B89DFJNLWtG8P
George Russell was left relieved after hearing that he would not be investigated for a yellow flag infringement in Qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, meaning that the Briton retained pole position after what he deemed an “amazing lap”.
Russell had appeared off the pace of Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli through much of the session, with the Italian also claiming provisional pole during the opening runs of Q3.
However, the picture changed when it was time for the final laps. Max Verstappen suffered a crash at Turn 9 that put him out of the running – resulting in Antonelli aborting his own effort, having thought that double yellow flags were being waved instead of single flags.
Meanwhile Russell was completing his closing run and lifted at the scene of the yellow flags – but it was still enough for the British driver to go fastest of all on a final time of 1m 06.113s, putting him ahead of the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton while Antonelli was left in fourth.
Initially there was some doubt over whether Russell would hold onto his result, with a potential yellow flag infringement noted by the stewards. However, with it being a single yellow flag rather than double, they soon confirmed that no further investigation was necessary.
Reflecting on his lap before hearing this news, Russell explained: “I feel incredible. It was such an amazing lap. I saw the yellow, I had a big lift into the corner – I was five tenths up, and I came out the last corner two and a half tenths up.
“It was a single yellow as well, not a double, so it should be okay. It was a tough day, but it was so special to get that lap and everything felt so sweet, so really proud of the job we all did.”
After being seen talking with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in parc ferme, the 28-year-old subsequently said: “I just spoke with Toto, he said everything was fine with the yellow flag so that is good news. 100 metre lift before the corner, so glad to hear that.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Russell is expecting a tough battle from his rivals.
“It’s going to be very hot,” he conceded. “The Ferraris are looking incredibly fast – in the corners they’re the fastest team at the moment. They’re maybe a bit more draggy than us, which may help us to defend.
“Tomorrow is going to be a big fight – obviously Kimi in P4 is going to be super-fast, we know how strong he’s been, and Lando [Norris] and the McLarens, so it’s game on from everyone.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/russell-relieved-to-hold-onto-amazing-austria-pole-lap-as-he-explains-reaction-to-yellow-flags.53a55G4YiZVIJ7TetgGGOF
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen says his car was “immediately gone” as he suffered a costly accident in Formula 1 qualifying ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
In the dying seconds of the lap, Verstappen put everything on the line to keep up with the intrinsically quicker Mercedes cars and looked on course to contend for the front row behind poleman George Russell. However, he lost the rear of his Red Bull RB22 in Turn 9, spinning into the barriers.
Verstappen said it was the first time over the Spielberg weekend that he had faced an issue in Turn 9, although his car was getting loose in Turn 6 as well earlier in the lap.
“That lap, already in Turn 6 I had a very weird snap on entry, because that’s basically the second highest speed [corner]. And then when I went into Turn 9, as soon as I turned the wheel I was gone,” he explained.
“It felt like a bit of a lack of some downforce or oversteer. I didn’t even change anything on the car. There is margin in places, so you try to push a little bit more, but at the same time also not a stupid amount more. But as soon as I turned the wheel it just completely went away.”
Verstappen felt the crash cost him two positions on the starting grid, but given Red Bull’s well documented start issues he was expecting to drop back on Sunday anyway.
“I think realistically we could have been P3, it’s a little bit better than P5,” the Dutchman told Sky. “But realistically, I think even if we would have been P3, coming off the line is hard for us, so you probably drop back to P5, but that’s what it is at the moment.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/max-verstappen-explains-odd-austria-f1-qualifying-crash/10834072/
Kimi Antonelli was left to rue a “mistake” that cost him a potential front row grid slot in Qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix, with the championship leader now focused on “maximising” from P4.
Antonelli had been on the pace throughout the weekend so far at the Red Bull Ring, topping both of Friday’s practice sessions before securing provisional pole during the opening laps of Q3 in Saturday’s Qualifying.
However, as the final runs of the session played out, Antonelli opted to abort his lap when Max Verstappen crashed at Turn 9, the Italian going on to explain that he believed double yellow flags were being waved rather than single.
As such, he was unable to improve on his previous effort and found himself falling back to fourth behind team mate George Russell – who claimed pole position, having lifted at the scene of the yellow flags – as well as the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
“It was unfortunate, but realistically it was a mistake from my side because I thought I saw double yellows and instead it was a single, so I completely aborted the lap when I could have just done a lift like George did,” Antonelli said after the session.
“But yeah, I think I was a tenth slower than George up to that point, so it still would have been difficult to get pole but at least front row was there.”
Given his speed across the weekend up until that point, Antonelli was quizzed on whether he still felt in the mix for victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“Yeah, for sure,” the 19-year-old responded. “It would have been more ideal to start more at the front, but it is what it is and the most important is that tomorrow we try to get a good start and then maximise from there.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-rues-mistake-that-cost-him-austria-front-row-as-he-vows-to-maximise-in-sundays-race.bJ6OpkP7CqirVEkka9jkC
Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok has shared his sympathy for Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli after a yellow flag misjudgement cost the Italian a shot at a front-row start for the Austrian Grand Prix.
The closing moments of Q3 at the Red Bull Ring were thrown into chaos when Max Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull, triggering local yellow flags. While Mercedes team-mate George Russell identified the warning as a single yellow, lifting just enough to comply with the regulations and secure pole position, Antonelli completely abandoned his lap.
While speaking to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying, Antonelli revealed that he had misunderstood the warnings and believed it was a double yellow flag rather than a single yellow.
“I don’t know why, but I thought it was a double yellow, so I aborted completely and missed the front row,” he explained. “I shouldn’t have done that. That was my mistake.”
Chandhok argued that the difference in approach from the two Mercedes drivers could show the experience Russell has over his team-mate.
“This is perhaps George knowing the rules and that you have to have the diagonal double yellow. He also had a bit more time to react,” the former Lotus driver explained.
“I have some sympathy for Antonelli, having seen the clip. When he came up to that yellow flag, he was the car behind Max Verstappen. He didn’t have much time to see it, and in a high-speed corner your eyeline is to the right, looking at the apex.
“I am sure he is disappointed, but he shouldn’t beat himself up too much.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/karun-chandhok-sympathises-with-kimi-antonelli-after-austrian-gp-qualifying-error/10834131/
Charles Leclerc has conceded he feels like “I’m leaving a little bit of margin” in Qualifying and that he hopes to regain confidence following a tough run of weekends, despite claiming P2 on the grid for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The Ferrari man will line up ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton after Mercedes’ George Russell sealed pole amid a dramatic end to Qualifying – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen crashed out on his final effort while Russell’s was still good enough for top spot despite having to lift for the yellow flag that came out for the Dutchman.
However, Leclerc’s P2 result marks a change in Qualifying fortunes after a challenging run of weekends, with the Monegasque crashing out on Saturday in both Monaco and Barcelona before mechanical issues denied him any points in those respective Grands Prix.
With that in mind, Leclerc conceded he was conscious of having a clean weekend this time around at the Red Bull Ring as he looks to recover some lost levels of confidence.
“Yeah, I’m a bit happier but then I’m never really satisfied unless I’m on pole or I win,” Leclerc said when asked if he was pleased with the result. “It’s been a long time as well so I just hope this changes very quickly.
“But, at the same time, it’s true in the last two weekends that on Saturdays it was tough but we had the pace I would say. But then, on the Sundays, we had mechanical problems. We didn’t score points and that kind of stays a bit in the head.
“I cannot lie, since then you have a bit of a mentality of just trying to do a clean lap and having a clean weekend – [to] start to score points again and getting into the rhythm again. I feel like I’m leaving a little bit of margin on the table in Qualifying, which is normal after the last few weekends. I just hope I get back to the level of confidence I had before to try and extract more from this car.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/leclerc-targets-confidence-boost-after-p2-in-austria-qualifying-as-he-assesses-ferrari-chances-against-mercedes.2A2TSZCHUmQ2BwoCVwEi9F