Russell ‘did everything right’ after Verstappen crash in Austrian GP
28th June 2026Mercedes’ George Russell states he ‘did everything right’ to maintain control of his car as he took pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix, despite yellow flags being in place.
Feature image credit: Mercedes F1
Russell stands as the pole sitter of the Austrian Grand Prix, after the British driver faced controversy on how he managed to achieve the feat around the Red Bull Ring.
During the final runs of Q3, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost control of his car and slid off the circuit, spinning around as he veered off across the gravel and into the barrier at turn nine, the penultimate corner.
As such, yellow flags were present at the incident. However, Russell was able to lift off heading into the yellow zone and then continue to secure pole position. A yellow-flag infringement was noted, but this was quickly quashed.
There was confusion regarding the status of the yellow-flag zone, but it was confirmed that Russell had gone through single yellow flags before it was upgraded to double-waved yellows. After qualifying, the Briton believed the single yellow was the correct call. He said:
“I didn’t even see the car because the run-off 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, you know, lifting a hundred 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.”
As the lap was deemed legal, as per the rules and regulations, it means Russell will line up on pole position for the Austrian GP, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes’ championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, will start fourth overall after the Italian bailed out on his final fast lap after Verstappen’s crash, with the Dutchman in fifth.
Read more Formula 1 here:
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- Austrian Grand Prix: F1 schedule and starting times
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
