​Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton secured second and third place in the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix qualifying, trailing George Russell who claimed pole with the fastest lap of the session. Russell managed his push to the finish line despite passing through a yellow flag zone after Max Verstappen crashed and hit the barriers at Turn 9 in the closing moments. Leclerc and Hamilton completed their final laps just before Verstappen’s incident, and if race control had immediately deployed double yellow flags instead of single yellows, Ferrari could have secured a front-row lockout.
Both Mercedes drivers were on flying laps when they reached Turn 9 under single yellow conditions. Kimi Antonelli aborted his lap, while Russell briefly eased before the braking zone before resuming to complete his lap and clinch pole. Although the FIA ruled that Russell slowed enough to comply with the regulations, the decision not to deploy double yellow flags—or to pause the session with a red flag—fueled debate in the paddock. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur criticized the decision, suggesting double yellow should have been deployed given the circumstances, noting the medical car’s involvement. He stressed that Russell’s lap was excellent but questioned the lack of double yellow in the incident.
Vasseur also emphasized his trust in the FIA’s judgment, saying, “If you are not able to trust the race control, it’s a disaster.” He added that the real concern is the potential message to the field: if a crash occurs in a future qualifying moment, drivers might feel compelled to push harder, knowing the penalties or rules may not trigger an automatic lap deletion.
The debate ties into Formula 1’s sporting regulations established in 2022, which automatically delete qualifying lap times set under double yellow flags. This rule came after several controversial episodes in which drivers continued to post times while passing through double yellow zones, despite being judged to have slowed. The change followed earlier steps under then race director Michael Masi to introduce automatic lap deletions in the event notes before making it a permanent rule. Under single yellow flags, drivers may still retain their lap times if their speed is reduced sufficiently.