Russell relieved to hold onto ‘amazing’ Austria pole lap as he explains reaction to yellow flags

George Russell was left relieved after hearing that he would not be investigated for a yellow flag infringement in Qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, meaning that the Briton retained pole position after what he deemed an “amazing lap”.

Russell had appeared off the pace of Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli through much of the session, with the Italian also claiming provisional pole during the opening runs of Q3.

However, the picture changed when it was time for the final laps. Max Verstappen suffered a crash at Turn 9 that put him out of the running – resulting in Antonelli aborting his own effort, having thought that double yellow flags were being waved instead of single flags.

Meanwhile Russell was completing his closing run and lifted at the scene of the yellow flags – but it was still enough for the British driver to go fastest of all on a final time of 1m 06.113s, putting him ahead of the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton while Antonelli was left in fourth.

Initially there was some doubt over whether Russell would hold onto his result, with a potential yellow flag infringement noted by the stewards. However, with it being a single yellow flag rather than double, they soon confirmed that no further investigation was necessary.

Reflecting on his lap before hearing this news, Russell explained: “I feel incredible. It was such an amazing lap. I saw the yellow, I had a big lift into the corner – I was five tenths up, and I came out the last corner two and a half tenths up.

“It was a single yellow as well, not a double, so it should be okay. It was a tough day, but it was so special to get that lap and everything felt so sweet, so really proud of the job we all did.”

After being seen talking with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in parc ferme, the 28-year-old subsequently said: “I just spoke with Toto, he said everything was fine with the yellow flag so that is good news. 100 metre lift before the corner, so glad to hear that.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Russell is expecting a tough battle from his rivals.

“It’s going to be very hot,” he conceded. “The Ferraris are looking incredibly fast – in the corners they’re the fastest team at the moment. They’re maybe a bit more draggy than us, which may help us to defend.

“Tomorrow is going to be a big fight – obviously Kimi in P4 is going to be super-fast, we know how strong he’s been, and Lando [Norris] and the McLarens, so it’s game on from everyone.”