George Russell claimed pole position for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix after a dramatic qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring. The Mercedes driver produced a superb final lap of 1:06.113 to beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.236s just moments after Max Verstappen’s push for pole had ended in a spectacular crash.
In the closing moments of the top-10 shootout, Leclerc had briefly taken provisional pole, edging ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton as Ferrari delivered two strong final laps. Verstappen, quickest in the second sector, looked on course to challenge those times but pushing to make gains in Turn 9, the Dutchman lost control and slid off into the barriers at high speed. Russell was still on track and completed his final attempt to move decisively to the top of the order. Verstappen was unharmed, and Race Control later confirmed that Russell’s lap had been completed under single yellow flags, allowing the Mercedes driver’s time to stand.
Leclerc will start second, with Hamilton third after a best lap of 1:06.408. Kimi Antonelli completed a strong session for Mercedes in fourth, just 0.301s away from pole, while Verstappen was left fifth after his opening Q3 effort of 1:06.475 remained his fastest time. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took sixth and seventh for McLaren, ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, with Racing Bulls pair Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10.
Earlier, Q1 began with Aston Martin, Williams and several midfield runners heading out early as teams looked to establish a rhythm on the short, fast Red Bull Ring layout. Nico Hülkenberg was among the first to post a representative midfield time for Audi, while Russell appeared earlier than expected.
The first major benchmark came from Norris, who put McLaren on top with a 1:07.259, narrowly ahead of Hamilton. Verstappen and Hadjar completed their first efforts shortly afterwards and were initially well placed, before Antonelli moved to the head of the order with a 1:07.083.
Verstappen and Hadjar returned to the pits after their opening runs and did not need a further serious attempt, progressing in sixth and seventh respectively. Further back, Franco Colapinto improved to climb to ninth for Alpine, while Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz also found time late on. Sainz, though, lost momentum with a slide out of the final corner and could not escape the drop zone. The Williams driver was eliminated in 17th, followed by team-mate Alex Albon, Cadillac pair Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas, and Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Q2 was tighter still. Norris headed out on used soft tyres, while Verstappen and Hadjar also began the segment on used rubber. Verstappen initially set a 1:07.183 to go fastest, with Hadjar following on a 1:07.315, before Ferrari moved ahead as Leclerc posted a 1:07.030 and Hamilton fell just 0.009s short of his team-mate.
The Mercedes drivers then became the focus. Antonelli delivered an excellent 1:06.763 to take control of the session, while Piastri slotted into second. Russell, however, locked up at Turn 3 and abandoned his lap, returning to the pits without a representative time and leaving himself exposed as the final runs approached.
At the end of Q2, Lawson and Lindblad produced late improvements to reach the top 10, pushing Verstappen down to the final transfer spot. Gasly was improving for Alpine and set personal bests in the first two sectors, but he missed out by just 0.040s, leaving Verstappen safe in 10th at Red Bull’s home race. Bortoleto, Bearman, Hülkenberg, Ocon and Colapinto were also eliminated.
In Q3, Norris was first out, followed by Hadjar and Verstappen. Norris set the early target at 1:06.900, but Verstappen then produced a strong 1:06.475 to move clear by more than four tenths. Piastri and Leclerc could not match him, before Antonelli went faster with a 1:06.414 and Russell moved into second on a 1:06.457.
The final runs brought a frantic finish. Hamilton, without a banker from the first runs, found purple sectors and briefly moved ahead. Leclerc then improved further to take provisional pole for Ferrari. But Verstappen’s late off brought yellow flags, forcing Antonelli to abandon his lap. Russell, next on the road, lifted through the affected zone but still completed the lap that secured pole, giving Mercedes a dramatic front-row start and setting up an intriguing Austrian Grand Prix.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:06.113 - -
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:06.349 0.236
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:06.408 0.295
4 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:06.414 0.301
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:06.475 0.362
6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:06.502 0.389
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:06.511 0.398
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:06.632 0.519
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:06.955 0.842
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:07.007 0.894
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:07.223 1.110
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:07.293 1.180
13 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:07.523 1.410
14 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:07.611 1.498
15 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:07.817 1.704
16 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:08.171 2.058
17 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:08.252 2.139
18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:08.509 2.396
19 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:08.945 2.832
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:09.030 2.917
21 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:09.942 3.829
22 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:10.363 4.250
