Lewis Hamilton has one word for the FIA after George Russell controversy at Austrian Grand Prix

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George Russell controversially kept pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix after a yellow flag at the end of Q3.

When Red Bull driver Max Verstappen lost control at the penultimate corner and slammed into the barriers, it looked as if the session would be neutralised. Charles Leclerc was on provisional pole at the time, with Ferrari teammate Hamilton second.

But despite having to go through the yellow-flag zone, Russell found over three-tenths from his first Q3 lap and snatched pole position.

Lewis Hamilton says ‘yeesh’ after hearing George Russell sector times

In the immediate aftermath of Verstappen’s crash, there was only a single yellow flag, rather than a double. That meant Russell could lift off the throttle briefly and then continue to push, rather than slowing significantly.

Russell completed the final sector in 20.069 seconds, only 0.027 seconds slower than he had been on his first Q3 run. He was substantially quicker than Leclerc (20.332) and Hamilton (20.197) through that section, even though the Ferrari pair set their times before the yellow flag.

“I don’t know if George was quicker in the last sector,” Hamilton told Sky Italia in the media pen. “I’m waiting to find out the information, the scoop. Was he quicker in the last sector?

“Oh, he was? Yeesh.”

Hamilton then hesitated, smiled and left the interview, as if he didn’t want to say anything more about the controversy.

In a way, the silence was telling; he was clearly surprised that Russell’s lap had been allowed to stand in light of that revelation, but was understandably wary of airing an unfiltered reaction on camera.

If Ferrari did put any pressure on the FIA off-camera, it didn’t work. The stewards didn’t even launch a full investigation.

• READ MORE: Bernie Collins saw why George Russell’s Austrian Grand Prix pole stood despite Max Verstappen crash

One could question whether Russell drove in a safe manner, or the marshals handled the incident correctly, but he was found to be within the rules.

“I didn’t even see the car because the run-off is so far,” the Mercedes driver said in the post-qualifying press conference. “And I think in that instance, a single yellow was correct because, as I said, a double yellow is immediate danger.

“You’re never 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.”