George Russell snatches pole in Austria after late crash for Max Verstappen
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will line up alongside Russell on the front row.
George Russell took a controversial pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen crashed out at the penultimate corner.
Verstappen’s accident brought out the yellow flags in the final seconds, and with Charles Leclerc leading the way, his Ferrari mechanics celebrated their man taking pole.
But Russell surprisingly stormed through to take a second pole in as many races beating Leclerc’s time by 0.236 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton finished third, a place clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with Verstappen in fifth.
However, Russell could face an investigation for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags with the stewards noting an infringement.
Protesting his innocence on the radio, Russell said: “Lifted on the entry to the corner. Lost a lot of time.”
Afterwards, he added: “I feel incredible. I saw the yellow. I had a big lift. I was five tenths up going into the final corner, and I crossed the line two and a half tenths up so I should be OK.”