F1: George Russell Pips Ferraris For Austria GP Pole After Max Verstappen Crashes

Last Updated:June 27, 2026, 21:31 IST

George Russell takes Austrian Grand Prix pole at Red Bull Ring after late investigation cleared, Charles Leclerc second, Lewis Hamilton third, Kimi Antonelli fourth for Mercedes

George Russell produced a stunning final lap to secure pole position for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in an eventful qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring.

The 28-year-old Briton Mercedes driver clocked a blistering 1:06.113 to claim top spot, despite briefly coming under investigation for a possible yellow-flag infringement after Max Verstappen crashed during the closing moments of qualifying. Russell insisted he had complied with the regulations, and the stewards later confirmed that no further action would be taken.

“I feel incredible, it was such an amazing lap," said Russell. “I saw the yellow and did a big lift into the corner. It was a single yellow (flag) so it should be okay."

Earlier, Russell had also addressed the incident by saying, “It was a single yellow and should be okay," in his post-qualifying interview.

Charles Leclerc 2nd And Lewis Hamilton 3rd

Leclerc finished second, 0.236 seconds behind Russell, with Hamilton completing an encouraging day for Ferrari in third. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth after backing off under double yellow flags triggered by Verstappen’s accident.

“I’m relatively happy about today," said Leclerc. “The last few weekends have been quite tough so I just wanted a clean weekend and qualifying. Second is a good place to start."

Hamilton also praised Ferrari’s recent progress, saying: “To have the two Ferraris in second and third is fantastic and a reflection of the amazing work back at the factory. They’ve brought small bits here, they’ve worked hard to upgrade our engine. I’m just really proud of everybody."

Earlier in the day, Russell topped the third and final practice session despite struggling with braking issues. During the session, he reported over team radio, “Really bad straight-line braking on the front axle," before recovering to finish ahead of Antonelli by just 0.038 seconds.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff applauded both drivers’ performances, saying, “When someone has been quick, he’s always been able to find himself and win. Kimi is very fast. That’s why we hired him, and George the same.

“George doesn’t need to prove to anyone that he has the speed, we know he has, and the ability."

Hamilton also encountered technical trouble during practice, telling his team, “I locked up in turn three, locked the rears. We need to check the gearbox. It said it was shifting but I was still in anti-stall."

(With inputs from Agencies)

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Ritayan Basu

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for over a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket conten...Read More

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