Austrian GP 2026 qualifying results: Russell takes pole
George Russell took pole for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix after qualifying results at the Red Bull Ring confirmed his 1:06.113 lap as the fastest in the session. Stewards briefly investigated whether he breached yellow flags at the scene of Max Verstappen's Q3 crash, but quickly cleared him, leaving Russell ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli lines up fourth.
Key Takeaways
- George Russell claimed pole for Mercedes with a 1:06.113 lap after a brief stewards' review.
- Ferrari locked out the second row as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified second and third.
- Championship leader Kimi Antonelli starts fourth, while Max Verstappen qualified fifth after crashing in Q3.
- McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri filled sixth and seventh, with both Red Bulls inside the top eight.
- Sunday's race follows a practice weekend shaped by reliability issues and a late Mercedes turnaround.
Who won qualifying at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix?
George Russell was fastest in Saturday qualifying at Spielberg, according to The Race. His pole lap of 1:06.113s stood once stewards ruled he had stayed within yellow-flag regulations at the site of Verstappen's crash.
Charles Leclerc was next, 0.236s behind, with Lewis Hamilton third in the second Ferrari. That gives Ferrari a strong platform for Sunday's race at the team's first ADUO-influenced engine upgrade weekend, as reported ahead of qualifying by Crash.net.
Why was Russell's pole lap investigated?
The Race reported that Russell's fastest lap was briefly investigated for a possible yellow-flag infringement linked to Verstappen's Q3 crash. Verstappen had been on a final qualifying effort when he went off, contributing to the late drama.
Stewards cleared Russell quickly, meaning his pole position was confirmed. Verstappen still set the fifth-fastest time overall, 0.362s off Russell's benchmark.
What do the full qualifying results look like?
Behind the top five, Lando Norris qualified sixth for McLaren, 0.389s from pole, with team-mate Oscar Piastri seventh. Isack Hadjar was eighth in the second Red Bull, ahead of Racing Bulls pair Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
Pierre Gasly led the midfield in 11th for Alpine. Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon filled the next positions. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon were 17th and 18th for Williams.
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were 19th and 20th for Cadillac. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll brought up the rear for Aston Martin in 21st and 22nd.
How did Friday practice shape the qualifying picture?
Qualifying followed a mixed practice weekend. Sky Sports reported that Kimi Antonelli topped first practice in a Mercedes one-two, while Verstappen, Hadjar and Norris all lost significant track time to reliability problems.
Antonelli also led second practice, but Russell bounced back in final practice. Crash.net said he pipped Antonelli by 0.038s in FP3 with a late 1:07.096s after a set-up change, while Ferrari closed the gap to Mercedes before qualifying began.
Where can you watch the Austrian Grand Prix race?
Qualifying took place at 3pm UK time on Saturday at the Red Bull Ring. Sky Sports F1 carried live coverage of the session, as noted in Sky Sports' Austrian GP practice reporting.
For live race alerts, stream times and broadcast updates across the weekend, check our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage so you do not miss lights out on Sunday.