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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has explained why he feels George Russell’s Austrian Grand Prix pole lap was ‘completely on’.
On Saturday, qualifying took place ahead of the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, with Mercedes and Ferrari dominating the headlines.
Under the scorching heat in Spielberg, Russell snatched pole position from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after a chaotic end to Q3.
Max Verstappen had crashed during his final Q3 run, which brought out yellow flags, meaning cars going through that section of the track had to slow down.
However, Russell still managed to set a quicker time than Leclerc, snatching pole position by more than 0.2 seconds.
George Russell scores pole for the Austrian Grand Prix 🇦🇹 But who surprised you the most during qualifying
Toto Wolff says George Russell made a ‘massive lift’ during chaotic end to qualifying
Immediately after the session ended, there was confusion as many people felt Russell’s lap should be deleted due to him not slowing down under double yellow flags.
After being noted by the FIA stewards, it was confirmed that the incident would not be investigated further, meaning Russell’s pole position was safe.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Mercedes team boss Wolff was adamant that Russell had done everything right.
Pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz asked: “Can you celebrate? Surely that will not be allowed?”
In response, Wolff said: “It was a 100m lift, single yellow. A 100m lift of George loses a tenth and a half. It is completely on.
“It was an incredible lap. It was a massive lift when compared to the laps before. Well done to George for how he managed it. I think Antonelli was under the impression it was a double yellow.”
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The whole situation was then cleared up during the aftermath of the session, with onboard footage showing Russell did in fact slow down and at the time that he went through the sector, it was only a single waved yellow flag, instead of a double.
Anthony Davidson said: “That’s a lot earlier and a lot more than a lift off than your typical lap, especially on a push lap.
“So, to be fair to George, he’s telling the truth; he lifted off a lot into that corner, and the data will show that.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Russell now has a massive chance to close the gap to Mercedes teammate and title rival Kimi Antonelli, who was impacted by double waved yellow flags and had to slow down.
In the end, Antonelli only managed to qualify in fourth place, and will have to overtake both Hamilton and Leclerc before he can have a go at Russell.
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