sports
George Russell Takes Pole at Austrian Grand Prix Amid Yellow-Flag Questions
Mercedes driver George Russell set the fastest lap on the final attempt of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after passing yellow flags displayed for Max Verstappen's crash. Russell will start Sunday's race from the front of the grid.
AF
news.google.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Mercedes driver George Russell set the fastest lap on the final attempt of qualifying Saturday to take pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after passing a single yellow flag at the site of Max Verstappen's crash in the penultimate corner.
Verstappen lost control on the high-speed downhill right-hander, spun across the gravel and hit the barrier, prompting yellow flags.
Russell said he lifted sufficiently for the incident. "I had a big lift. I went into the corner 0.5secs up and I came out 0.25secs up," he stated. Russell added that he spoke with team principal Toto Wolff, who confirmed the team saw no issue with the flag compliance.
Russell's teammate Kimi Antonelli, running immediately ahead, also passed the incident but did not improve his time and will start fourth. Verstappen will start fifth despite the crash. McLaren's Lando Norris qualified sixth and Oscar Piastri seventh.
Russell claimed only a single yellow flag was shown rather than double waved yellows. The session occurred on Saturday ahead of Sunday's race.
