2026 Austrian Grand Prix - Spielberg, June 26 - 28

[nitrotech]

I still don't understand why a driver would throw the car into a corner knowing fully well that his car doesn't have the grip to hold on. It's unfortunate that the FIA doesn't want to implement the qualy crash rules they have in the junior formulae in F1. A driver shouldn't be able to hold on to his quickest qualy time if he ruins everyone else's lap with a completely avoidable crash.

Spot on.

[Sergej]

ok now Kimi is saying at the ring that he thought it was a double but actually was a single, he's regretting having aborted the lap

Russell played that very smartly

[search]

Well the single yellow clearly doesn't serve any purpose if you can set PB sectors in Q3 whilst passing one.

Russell didn't, to be fair. 20.069s compared to 20.042s before

[FNTC]

ok now Kimi is saying at the ring that he thought it was a double but actually was a single, he's regretting having aborted the lap

Russell played that very smartly

Sky showed that Russel got a single but Kimi got a double on the light panel.

[Artur Craft]

Scandalous.

Russell to keep p1 just to spice up the championship?

In Barcelona they did the same, were you complaining ? That VSC was the perfect tool to spice up the championship and bring hopes and dreams to a very significant fan base of F1 and, as a consequence, increase viewership (just look here, several senior members who were away for quite some time came back here in euphoria)

You guys can cry a river, Russell will start on pole, and it is what it is. But, if Antonelli beats him again despite all that, it will be even more humiliating and devastating for George

Reporters are claiming they talked to Ferrari staff and they don´t plan to protest, BTW

Can anyone share sector times, please? Who was lapping faster ,George or Antonelli?

[venkyhere]

Regardless, very very poor from Max, he clearly was pushing way too much (look at his gap to Hadjar, besides Red Bull doesn´t have the pace to fight Mercedes and Ferrari) and was driving like a "Heroe" (much like Leclerc was doing in the previous 2 QLFs).

I think you are being very harsh.
When is the last time you remember Max to have 'overdriven' a Q3 lap and crashed the car ?
I can remember only Jeddah 2021.
How many crashes by others we have seen in Q3 over these 5 years ? This crash doesn't diminish his credibility as a driver, IMHO.

[Sergej]

here we go, Russell passes at Sector 15 at 17:00:36, double is exposed at 17:00:45. So it's valid.

As I understand it, Russell passed T9 at 17:00:36—meaning after the single yellow (23) but before the double yellow (45). Personally, I think he showed great composure and alertness, and acted entirely within the regulations. One could debate the timing of the double yellow or whether a red flag should have been deployed immediately, but Russell is not at fault.

[MB_Racer]

Not the first time a Mercedes car set pole despite yellow flags.

Nothing to see here.

Correct GR lifted like the rules states (single yellow)… so he keeps his pole…

Really nothing surprising

[Badger]

I still don't understand why a driver would throw the car into a corner knowing fully well that his car doesn't have the grip to hold on. It's unfortunate that the FIA doesn't want to implement the qualy crash rules they have in the junior formulae in F1. A driver shouldn't be able to hold on to his quickest qualy time if he ruins everyone else's lap with a completely avoidable crash.

You can't understand your own invented narrative?

[aberracus]

So the drivers should not try their best ? What kind of narrative is that ? They are taking risks, that’s driving you know ?

Yeah FIA failed not throwing a Red, if somebody crashed onto Verstappen could have been a tragedy.

[search]

if I didn't miss anything, this should be what everyone has left for the race:

[FittingMechanics]

here we go, Russell passes at Sector 15 at 17:00:36, double is exposed at 17:00:45. So it's valid.

As I understand it, Russell passed T9 at 17:00:36—meaning after the single yellow (23) but before the double yellow (45). Personally, I think he showed great composure and alertness, and acted entirely within the regulations. One could debate the timing of the double yellow or whether a red flag should have been deployed immediately, but Russell is not at fault.

This was very Max like. Working up to the limit (and sometimes over) of the rules.

Fair play to Russell.

Btw worth mentioning he was up on Antonelli after S2.

[Badger]

Russell used the rules to his advantage which is fair enough, but the marshals are crazy for not putting out the DY. There was plenty of time.

[PlatinumZealot]

Georgie boy struggling. Mental blow again by the italian teen.

Yeah, but he built mental strengh for Q3 and also profited from luck(my guess is that Antonelli would have gotten pole if it wasn´t for Max´s "heroic act")

Charles finally gets a tiny upper hand after being on the back foot all weekend.

That was very cruel for you guys, wasn´t it? Leclerc looked weak all weekend giving further confidence for you guys after Leclerc´s disastrous previous GPs. Then, the "living the dream" got shattered, back to hard reality and normal service resumed. That´s tough

Not really. It's more of a boost actually. No banker and earlier over the line yet still only a few thosuandths off.

[PlatinumZealot]

It was long time standard that by a single yellow no personal best is enough. But in a situation like this, (a) a single yello is questionable and (b) such a small lift is anyway not enough. And on a side note, with his hybrid engines the lap time loose from RUS in this situation is close to 0.

It was a 100meter lift according to George. Can't really argue with that.