Mercedes’ George Russell clinched his 4th pole position of the season at the 2026 F1 Austrian GP. The Briton finished ahead of both Ferraris as well as teammate Kimi Antonelli, who placed P4. He clocked in a time of 1:06.113, almost 0.2 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc in P2.
Russell reflected on his performance in Qualifying and discussed how he will be approaching the 2026 F1 Austrian GP on Sunday.
Russell’s performance in Qualifying at the 2026 F1 Austrian GP
Prior to the final lap in Q3, which granted the 28-year-old pole, Russell was slower compared to Antonelli and both Ferraris on track. He finished P5 in Q1 and was more than 0.3 seconds slower than Antonelli, who topped the session. The Briton then finished Q2 in P4, close to 0.2 seconds behind his teammate.
In Q3, Russell appeared slower in pace once again compared to the Italian driver. Antonelli had claimed provisional pole during the opening rounds. However, following Max Verstappen’s crash in Turn 9, Antonelli had aborted his final run, having thought that double yellow flags were being waved.
Instead, single yellow flags were waved on the track. Russell, on the other hand, was able to complete his final flying lap. Despite lifting at the scene of the flag, the Briton was able to claim pole position at the 2026 F1 Austrian GP.
Russell explained where he found the extra time in Q3
When asked where he found the extra time for his final lap in Q3, Russell revealed he did not know and would be discussing it with Mercedes. Nonetheless, he was relieved to have clinched pole despite the difficult Qualifying session.
“If I had the answer, we’d be on pole every week, to be honest. I said on Thursday, it’s like when the car clicks and the tyres work, and it just gets into that sweet spot, a huge amount of lap time comes from nowhere.
“And I had a really difficult session. I was almost out in Q2. My first lap in Q3 was strong. And then I just went around turn one on my final lap. I was a tenth and a half up. And then turn three, another tenth and a half up. And turn four, another tenth and a half.
“And the lap was unbelievable. And then, obviously, I got that yellow flag in, the single yellow in the last sector. But I did a 100 metre lift, lost a huge amount of time. And still, you know, I don’t know. I don’t have the answer. For sure, I’ll be looking with my team where it came from. But it felt very, very sweet.”
What changed before the final run in Q3
Russell also shared that between his runs in Q3, he had fitted a new front wing and a fresh set of tyres. He then explained how getting the tyres to temperature was a major factor that contributed to P1.
“But it’s one of those when you nail turn one, and you go through fast, but the car doesn’t slide, it keeps the temperatures a little bit down. So the tyres are cooler approaching the next turn, and then you have more grip. So you go through there faster, and the tyres are cooler once again. And it’s this sort of upward spiral. And equally, if you have a bad turn one, you’re on this downward spiral. And it just clicked.“
Toto Wolff’s radio message
In Q2, Russell had to abort his first lap after a mistake at Turn 3. Before attempting his second run, Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff radioed the British driver to deliver the message, “George, just drive”.
The Briton explained that Wolff’s words served as a motivation during the difficult session and reminded him not to overdrive his W17.
“It’s just one of those magic laps. And just so pleased because it’s been a real tough run for me. But, you know, like Toto said to me in Q2, just enjoy it, just enjoy the drive. And he said the same ahead of Q3, just go out and enjoy it. And I said that to myself, just don’t overdrive it, just enjoy it because it’s quite a cool thing that we do.”
Russell then broke down how it is easy to overdrive and how it affected his Qualifying session at the 2026 F1 Austrian GP.
“There’s definitely a factor of that, but it’s so difficult because if you’re on the back foot and you’re off the pace by a tenth or two or three. To then say, I’m going to try less hard, it doesn’t compute. You know, when things aren’t going your way, you always want to do more and more and more. And when you’re in the car, to say that I’m going to approach this corner and I’m going to brake five metres earlier than the lap before, that’s just not how our brains work. But sometimes that is the faster way.”
Russell shares his point of view on the late yellow flag
There were initial doubts that the Briton would not hold onto pole position due to potential yellow flag infringement noted by the stewards following the end of the session. However, no further investigation was conducted after it was confirmed to be a good lift under a single yellow flag.
When reflecting on his final lap, Russell shared that he never had the intention to abort his run. This was mainly due to his confidence that it was a single yellow flag. He also admitted that he was unaware Verstappen had spun off into the barriers.
“Yeah, well, it is a corner where you can see quite a lot. And I just did a huge lift, and I was going to assess the situation as soon as I got to the corner, if the car was there. But as it was a single yellow, I was pretty confident there was no danger.
“And as soon as I turned onto the corner, I already saw the green up ahead. And I actually thought the car had continued because I didn’t see the car at all. It was so far off the track. I didn’t see the car whatsoever. And it was only when I saw the replay afterwards that I saw it was well off into the wall. So, yeah, I was glad common sense prevailed there because, yeah.”
Challenges of the 2026 F1 Austrian GP
Ahead of the 2026 F1 Austrian GP, Russell acknowledges that maintaining the lead in the race will be difficult. The Briton identified both Ferraris starting in P2 and P3, respectively, as one of the main threats. He even referenced Hamilton’s performance in Barcelona to further explain his point.
Another team Russell is wary of is McLaren. Despite Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri starting in P6 and P7, respectively, the team has shown flashes of raw pace throughout the weekend. Piastri had finished P3 and P2 in the first two practice sessions of the weekend. While Norris finished P3 and P5 in FP2 and FP3.
“Well, these guys [Ferrari] are super fast and it’s going to be a challenge having the two of them nearby. We saw Lewis in Barcelona, how great his pace was. I think it will be challenging for them to overtake us in the straights because we’ve got the straight line advantage, but they’ve got the advantage in the corners.
“And if they’re splitting the strategy or putting us under pressure, it may be difficult to hold on to. And of course, Kimi’s going to be super fast. The McLarens have looked really fast.
“Max, I don’t know how his last lap was looking, but he was right up there as well with those new upgrades for Red Bull. So there’s a huge fight on our hands from all angles.”
Russell on how performance affects driver’s confidence
Russell currently sits in P3 in the 2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship with 106 points. He is currently 50 points behind teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli. While the Briton won the season opener round in Australia, it was soon followed by Antonelli winning the next five consecutive races.
Russell spoke about how a sudden drop in performance was not due to the driver’s ability but rather to the car’s reliability. The 28-year-old also agreed with Leclerc’s statement on how the car’s performance can affect a driver’s confidence. He even used Leclerc’s performance to explain his point.
“I mean, it’s the eighth race of the season, it’s my fourth pole, but I’ve never been able to really convert into a good result. So it has… You know, moments like this, it’s like confidence is restored. And like Charles was just saying, last year, every lap, every session, I just had the confidence in the car to just push it to the limit and know exactly what it was going to do. And I think for Charles, one of the best definitely, qualifiers on the grid was the same. And for both of us, it has been challenging a lot at times, but we haven’t just forgotten how to drive.”
Russell is confident he can beat Antonelli
Regardless, Russell believes he has the potential to beat his teammate once he finds the confidence as he had after Qualifying.
“And there is definitely an element of understanding what this car needs, what these tyres need in different conditions. And Kimi has just done an amazing job day in, day out. Do I have the confidence I can beat him? Yeah, 100%. I just need to get that click, as I found again today, as I had in Barcelona, as I had in Canada, as I had in Melbourne, as I showed in China. And then, you know, the results will come at some point in the races. It can’t continuously be bad luck over the course of a season. So, yeah, feeling good.”
How impactful are the team radios mid-session?
Russell also explained that Wolff’s radio message in Q2 served as a reminder of the conversations they had shared throughout the season. He added that these messages helped to boost his confidence on track, especially during tough sessions.
“It’s probably the Austrian accent, to be honest. No, I think knowing that your boss has 100% faith and confidence in you, you know, he’s been the one who has been the first to pick me up throughout the season when things haven’t been going right and reminded me, like, you haven’t forgotten how to drive. And I know the speed you’ve got.
“And so we speak every single day. And those little messages, they kind of throw me to conversations that we have, you know, on a personal level between races as such. So, you know, maybe for you sort of listening, not knowing the context. For me, it means a lot. And, you know, reminds me of those chats we’ve had and reminds me that, yeah, I can do it. You know, there’s no reason why I can’t do it again today.”
Russell shares how the upgrades have impacted racing
When asked if the upgrades have improved racing as compared to the season opener round in Australia, Russell took the time to praise the regulation overhaul the FIA introduced following the 2026 F1 Japanese GP. These changes increased the opportunity to push these cars to the max, and it translates into better races.
“I think the evolution, but the regulation change from Japan onwards, has been very good. The cars do feel much nicer to drive. I think the one issue that all of the drivers are complaining about are the tyre pressures.”
However, he also highlighted tyre pressure as the current issue faced by the majority of the grid and shared how Pirelli has responded to the comments.
“But from what we hear and understand, Pirelli are trying to make improvements there. You know, there’s a strange rule that they have to take into consideration if a team is going to be SM [Simulated Maximum] fails, and then there’s a much more downforce on the car, and then they need to take compensation by two or three PSI for this. But, you know, for all of us, it feels like you have big balloons you’re driving on. And if they could make that step, I think it would be much better for the drivers, much better for racing, less overheating. We could fight even closer. I think that would be the next big step.”
Russell believes a single yellow flag was the right call
In response to Verstappen’s high-speed crash into the barriers, single yellow flags were waved across the track. This, however, triggered a controversy with many arguing it should have been double yellow flags instead.
Russell shared his insights on the matter and argued that a single yellow flag was the correct call during the 2026 F1 Austrian GP Qualifying session. According to the Briton, since Verstappen’s Red Bull stopped deep in the Turn 9 run-off area, it did not pose as a safety risk on the racing line and hence did not justify a double yellow flag.
“As I said, I didn’t even see the car because the runoff is so far. And I think in that instance, a single yellow was correct. Because, as I said, a double yellow is immediate danger. You’re never going, lifting 100 metres before a corner or lifting off with a single yellow. You’re never going to lose control of the car. Verstappen, the only reason he was in the wall that far away is because he was attacking and lost the car.
“So I think the single yellow was correct. I think I did everything right to be very much under control. And it’s a very different story to a double.”
