Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestylePhilip DuncanSaturday 27 June 2026 18:24 BSTGeorge Russell secured pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix, outpacing Charles Leclerc by 0.236 seconds (Reuters)George Russell secured pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix, outpacing Charles Leclerc by 0.236 seconds.The pole came after Max Verstappen crashed out at the penultimate corner, triggering yellow flags during the final seconds of qualifying.Stewards investigated Russell for potentially failing to slow sufficiently under the yellow flags but ultimately decided to take no further action.Lewis Hamilton qualified third, ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with Verstappen set to start from fifth place.Russell defended his actions, stating he 'lifted' on entry to the corner and was significantly ahead on time before the incident.In fullPole-sitter George Russell happy ‘common sense prevailed’ over yellow-flag issueThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in