George Russell shares what he told Charles Leclerc straight after qualifying for Austrian Grand Prix

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George Russell has revealed what he told Charles Leclerc straight after snatching pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix in a controversial end to qualifying this Saturday.

Leclerc entered the dying seconds of Q3 at the Red Bull Ring sitting atop the timesheets on a 1:06.349. It seemed like it would be enough for the Ferrari star to take pole for the Austrian GP, too, when Red Bull racer Max Verstappen crashed at Turn 9 and he reached the barriers.

Yet as the dust settled on Verstappen’s RB22 at Red Bull’s home race, Russell snuck under the radar to snatch pole away from Leclerc by a whopping 0.236 seconds with a 1:06.113. It was not initially clear whether Russell’s pole lap was legal, but the FIA did not delete his lap.

George Russell scores pole for the Austrian Grand Prix 🇦🇹 But who surprised you the most during qualifying

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George Russell told Charles Leclerc he was surprised by his Austrian Grand Prix pole time

Ultimately, Russell scored pole for the Austrian GP, as the FIA accepted that the Briton lifted sufficiently on the approach for Turn 9 and hesitated before accelerating on the exit enough to satisfy the conditions. When Russell arrived at Turn 9, it was still only a single yellow flag.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix on TV, plus the weather forecast

It was only after Russell exited Turn 9 and went on to score pole that the zone was upgraded to a double-waved yellow flag, to the bane of his rivals. But Russell was surprised to see that he scored pole for the Austrian GP as his pace in Q3 came as a shock, which he told Leclerc.

Russell told Sky Sports F1 (27/06, 17:04): “I saw the single [yellow], and did a big lift off. It is really clear in the regulations that a single yellow, there is an incident, but a double yellow is very much ‘be prepared to stop, and there’s clear danger ahead’.

“When it’s flashing, it takes a bit [of getting used to because] it isn’t so clear. But if you know it, it is clear. The double yellow is the diagonal yellow flickering, and the single is the solid.

“As I got to this point [at the apex of Turn 9], my eyeline is around here [past Verstappen’s crash]. I just saw the green light here, and I couldn’t see anything. So, I actually thought in my head, ‘Ah, someone’s just spun off, caused the yellow, and continued’.

“So, by the time I got around, I was back on the power. And I really would have loved to have finished the lap. I think there’s a good three and a half [or] four tenths left in there. So, it was just really, really magical lap. But I don’t know where the lap time came from.

“I wish I knew, because then I could do it more repetitively. And I was just talking with Charles before, and these cars [and] these tyres, it’s sometimes you’re quick [and] sometimes you’re off the pace, and it’s not so clear to understand why. But it worked out when I needed it to.”

It was clear from Russell’s data that his Austrian GP pole lap was legal, as he was only shown a single yellow flag for Verstappen’s crash instead of the double-waved yellow that his rivals were shown. Thus, a huge lift off the throttle into Turn 9 meant he did not lose his best time.

But why Russell was only shown a single yellow flag while Verstappen’s Red Bull was stuck in the barriers raised eyebrows in the aftermath of qualifying for the Austrian GP. Even Andrea Kimi Antonelli wants the FIA to review Russell’s pole lap to learn for future crashes like this.

Russell will not mind his rivals’ misery, despite his speed being a mystery, though, as he has to claw back points from Antonelli and Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings. Ahead of Sunday’s Austrian GP, Russell trails Antonelli by 50 points and Hamilton by nine.