George Russell secures pole at 2026 Austrian Grand Prix

Mercedes driver George Russell earned his 12th career pole position for the 2026 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix. In qualifying Q3, Max Verstappen crashed, bringing out a yellow flag; Russell posted the fastest time despite a brief slowdown and his lap was validated. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) completed the top three qualifiers.

Earlier in the weekend, Russell also topped the third free‑practice session, with Antonelli second and Hamilton third. The Mercedes team highlighted the result as a chance to reduce the points gap to Ferrari and Red Bull as the race approaches.

The event takes place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.