Russell Cleared to Keep Austrian GP Pole

George Russell will keep pole position for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix after stewards cleared the Mercedes driver following an investigation into the yellow flags triggered by Max Verstappen's qualifying crash.

Verstappen crashed at Turn 9 on his final flying lap, bringing out yellow flags while Russell and team-mate Kimi Antonelli were still completing their final qualifying attempts.

Russell set a 1:06.113 lap to beat Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to pole position, but his lap immediately came under review after appearing to pass through a double yellow flag zone.

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Following an investigation, the stewards determined Russell had only passed through a single yellow flag sector and had correctly demonstrated a reduction in speed before completing his lap, meaning no sporting regulations had been breached.

Russell estimated he lost around one to one-and-a-half tenths by lifting through the affected area. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained the driver lifted for approximately 100 metres, satisfying the FIA requirement under single yellow conditions.

The situation proved costly for Antonelli, who mistakenly believed double yellow flags had already been displayed and aborted his final lap. In reality, double yellows were only shown around 15 seconds later, after Russell had already passed the incident scene.

The stewards' decision confirmed Russell's fourth pole position of the season and the 11th of his Formula 1 career, while Antonelli will start fourth behind Russell, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.