Russell holds off Leclerc and Hamilton for Austrian GP pole as Verstappen crashes out of qualifying
Mercedes driver George Russell took a drama-filled pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completing the front row after Max Verstappen crashed in the closing moments.
Qualifying drama at Spielberg
George Russell emerged from a chaotic qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring with his second consecutive pole, repeating his Barcelona performance from two weeks ago. The Briton set the fastest time but had to wait several minutes while stewards investigated whether he completed his lap under yellow flags caused by Max Verstappen's crash. The investigation ultimately cleared Russell, confirming his place at the head of the field.
I don't have many good feelings. I'm not really comfortable. Tomorrow, we'll have to fix the start to fight with the guys at the front.
Verstappen, who had been on a quick lap with Red Bull, lost control and hit the wall on his final flying attempt. The Dutchman will start from the third row in fifth position, alongside reigning world champion Lando Norris. The incident added to the confusion on the last flying laps, but no further penalties were applied.
Ferrari locks out the front row
Charles Leclerc took second place, followed by his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton in third, putting two scarlet cars right behind Russell on the grid. Hamilton entered the weekend with momentum after winning the previous race in Barcelona, and the team has shown improved pace in hot conditions.
Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, could not add a fifth pole of the season. The Italian Mercedes driver ended up fourth, sharing the second row with Hamilton. Since the season began, only Mercedes drivers (Antonelli and Russell) have secured pole positions.
Starting grid snapshot
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- 1
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- 3
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- 4
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 5
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- 6
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 7
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- 8
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- 9
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
- 10
The full 22-car grid sees McLaren's Norris and Oscar Piastri on row three behind Verstappen, with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar the leading French driver in eighth. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, also French, line up further back in 11th and 15th respectively.
Sunday's race under heat scrutiny
The Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday 28 June at 15:00 local time, over 71 laps or a maximum of two hours. Organisers placed the event on a heat-risk watch, with high temperatures expected to challenge both drivers and machinery. Norris won last year's race from pole with a lap time of 1:03.971 and will try to fight forward from sixth on the grid.
