Austrian Grand Prix 2026 – Saturday

George Russell secured the pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, while Kimi Antonelli will start from fourth place. This is George’s eleventh pole position in his career and the first time he will start from the first place in Austria. The qualifying session was challenging due to high track temperatures and demanding tire management. In the FP3 training, George led with a time of 1:07.398 minutes, while Kimi Antonelli was second with a time of 1:07.083 minutes. Both drivers made it to the next round in the first two qualifying segments and secured a spot in Q3. In a fiercely competitive session, George drove the fastest time under yellow flags, after Max Verstappen’s Red Bull crashed in the last sector. George led the time table with a time of 1:06.113 minutes. However, the Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton pushed Kimi to fourth place. George stated that the last lap in Q3 was fantastic and that he could see himself making up a few tenths of a second per curve, which was an incredible feeling. He also mentioned that without the yellow flag at the end of the session, they could have been even faster. Kimi Antonelli said that the weekend has been positive so far and that they have shown a good pace in the sessions. He felt comfortable in the car, especially on the long runs, and is looking forward to the race on Sunday. Team principal Toto Wolff praised George’s performance, saying that he did an excellent job and drove a fantastic lap when it mattered. Wolff also mentioned that Kimi had a good weekend and showed a strong pace, but was unlucky with the yellow flags in Q3. The team is aware that the competition will be tough on Sunday, and they will need to perform well to achieve a good result.