F1: Russell on pole between the two Ferraris - Verstappen went off the track

Mercedes driver George Russell claimed pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix, the eighth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, despite Max Verstappen's late off-track excursion in the closing moments of qualifying.

The four-time world champion ran wide in the final sector of the Red Bull Ring just as the clock hit zero, while Russell was still approaching that section of the circuit. The Briton slowed under yellow flags and ultimately edged Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.236 seconds. After reviewing the incident, race control ruled that the Mercedes driver had slowed sufficiently, allowing him to retain pole position.

Until the closing stages of qualifying, it was Kimi Antonelli who looked set to take pole in the second Mercedes after topping the timesheets throughout the weekend. In a surprising twist, Lewis Hamilton briefly went fastest for Ferrari despite championship leader Verstappen still being on track. Leclerc then moved to the top before Verstappen's off-track moment changed everything.

As Antonelli reached the final sector, double yellow flags were being displayed where Verstappen had gone off. Moments later, they were downgraded to single yellow flags. Russell arrived just afterward and, against all expectations, snatched pole position away from Leclerc.

Hamilton had to settle for third, just 0.059 seconds behind his Ferrari teammate and only 0.006 seconds ahead of Antonelli. Verstappen qualified fifth, although whether he will start from that position will depend on any repairs needed to his car. The McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed in sixth and seventh.

Red Bull's second driver, Isack Hadjar, posted the eighth-fastest time, half a second behind Russell, while the Racing Bulls pair of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.

The opening two qualifying sessions produced no major surprises, although Alpine's Pierre Gasly came close to knocking Verstappen out in Q2. As expected, both Aston Martin drivers and the Cadillac pair were eliminated in Q1, along with Williams teammates Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alex Albon.

Gasly was the first driver below the cut line in Q2, followed by a mix of Haas and Audi drivers — Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon — as well as his Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto.

The Austrian Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. local time.