George Russell takes advantage of Verstappen’s accident to claim pole position (Image: AI)
It was a Red Bull episode of the Austrian Grand Prix but who would have thought that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen would crash in the qualifying round. Today’s race starts at 6:30pm with Mercedes driver George Russell once again starting from pole position and sharing the front row with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The Red Bull Circuit has always rewarded bravery. Its short turns, long straights and unforgiving high-speed corners leave little room for hesitation. One mistake can cost a driver an entire qualifying session, while one perfect lap can define an entire weekend.After Lewis Hamilton’s emotional win for Ferrari in Barcelona, Formula 1 has arrived in Spielberg with the championship battle wide open once again. Kimi Antonelli still leads the standings by 41 points, but George Russell was keen to remind everyone that Mercedes has two real title contenders.
Friday practice: Antonelli sets the early pace
If Barcelona belonged to George Russell, then Friday in Austria belonged to Kimi Antonelli. The championship leader wasted no time in establishing his dominance over the weekend, topping the opening practice session with Mercedes comfortably at the top of the chase. George Russell completed the top two positions for Mercedes, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took third.
| position | driver | a team | Time/gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:07.796 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.040 sec |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.117 w |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.281 sec |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.665 w |
Second training session
Antonelli once again completed the practice double on Friday, setting fastest lap ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Russell dropped to sixth after traffic and set-up changes affected the afternoon, but Mercedes remained the team to beat heading into Saturday.McLaren looked more competitive over one lap, while Ferrari’s Hamilton quietly improved throughout the afternoon. Verstappen finished fourth again but continued to struggle for balance for his Red Bull team.
| position | driver | a team | Time/gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:07.014 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.237 sec |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.325 sec |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.550 sec |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.597 sec |
Saturday morning: Russell strikes again
Just when it looked as if Antonelli was going to dominate the entire weekend, George Russell responded.
The Briton produced an impressive lap in the final practice session, edging out teammate Antonelli by just 0.038 seconds to take the FP3 lead. Lewis Hamilton completed the top three despite struggling with rear wheel lock, while Mercedes once again confirmed it had the fastest pack ahead of Spielberg.Russell admitted the car was still not perfect, and complained about brake grip throughout the session, but when it mattered most, he squeezed every bit of performance out of the W18.
Antonelli stayed comfortably in contention, ensuring Mercedes entered qualifying as clear favourites.
| position | driver | a team | Time/gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:07.096 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.038 sec |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.115 sec |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.248 sec |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.264 sec |
Qualification: Chaos, controversy, and Russell’s great mogul
The Red Bull Ring may have one of the shortest laps in Formula 1, but qualifying is rarely easy. The first and second quarters witnessed their share of surprises, and then came the exciting third quarter.Max Verstappen appeared to be in contention for pole position before losing control at Turn 9 and crashing into the barriers on his final lap.
Yellow flags immediately fluttered across the circuit, forcing many drivers to act in an instant. Russell came close to the crash, raising enough to comply with yellow flags before completing an impressive lap that eventually secured pole position. The Mercedes driver was briefly investigated after Ferrari questioned whether he had disrespected yellow flags, but Antonelli and Russell confirmed his lap was legal and the pole was upright.
Charles Leclerc took advantage of Ferrari’s improved pace to secure second place on the grid. Lewis Hamilton completed an impressive Ferrari challenge on the front row in third.Antonelli, who had looked capable of competing for pole all weekend, mistakenly thought double yellow flags had been raised and scrapped his final lap, settling for fourth.Verstappen’s previous lap was enough for fifth place despite finishing qualifying in the barriers.
| position | driver | a team | Q3/Q2/Q1 time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (pole) | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:06.113 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:06.349 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:06.408 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:06.414 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:06.475 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:06.502 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:06.511 |
| 8 | Ishaq Hajjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:06.632 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Bull racing | 1:06.955 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Bull racing | 1:07.007 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alps | 1:07.223 (S2) |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoletto | Audi | 1:07.293 (S2) |
| 13 | Oliver Berman | Haas F1 Team | 1:07.523 (S2) |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:07.611 (S2) |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:07.817 (S2) |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alps | 1:08.171 (S2) |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz Jr | Williams | 1:08.252 (1st quarter) |
| 18 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:08.509 (1st quarter) |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:08.945 (1st quarter) |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:09.030 (Q1) |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:09.942 (1st quarter) |
| 22 | Lance outing | Aston Martin | 1:10.363 (S1) |
Verstappen’s frustrating afternoon
Austria is Red Bull’s home race, but Saturday quickly turned into a disappointment. After showing promising pace in Q3, Verstappen’s latest crash ended any hopes of competing for pole position. While he is uninjured, the Dutchman will now start from fifth position, leaving him with a lot of work to do on Sunday.
Race ahead
Everything points to another great battle between Mercedes and Ferrari.George Russell starts from pole position looking to reduce Antonelli’s lead in the championship.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton achieved Ferrari’s strongest qualifying result in weeks.Antonelli still has the race speed to challenge for victory. Despite starting from fifth place, Verstappen remains one of the best Formula 1 racers at the Red Bull Circuit.With overtaking opportunities in Turns 1, 3 and 4, Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix promises much more excitement than Monaco.