Spielberg: Russell pole ahead of Ferrari duo

Mercedes driver George Russell has secured pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday (15.00 p.m./live on ServusTV, Sky).

June 27, 2026

From: apa

The British Formula One driver overtook his Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc in the final seconds of qualifying at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Lewis Hamilton finished third in the second Ferrari. Russell's teammate Kimi Antonelli came in fourth.

Russell set a time of 1:06,113 minutes, beating Leclerc by two tenths of a second. Following an off-track excursion by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in the penultimate corner, there was a brief investigation to determine whether Russell had ignored the yellow flag and failed to lift off the throttle. However, no infringement was found.

Verstappen slid across the gravel bed

With an air temperature of 33 degrees Celsius and a track temperature of 52 degrees at the start of qualifying, the top teams in Formula 1 gave it their all, pushing each other to the limit and setting blistering lap times. Nevertheless, Antonelli quickly emerged as the favorite for pole position.

Five-time Spielberg winner Verstappen had only just made it into the final qualifying session, but was then on a strong lap before losing control of his car and sliding across the gravel trap.

This is the dramatic moment that ends Max Verstappen's Q3! ��#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/b64MHhGQGR
- Formula 1 (@ F1) June 27, 2026

The Dutchman had to settle for fifth place, followed by the two McLarens of last year's winner Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. In the overall World Championship standings, 19-year-old Antonelli leads Hamilton by 41 points and Russell by 50 points ahead of the eighth of 22 races this season.