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Max Verstappen suffers huge Qualifying crash at Austrian GP before pole position chaos

Max Verstappen suffered a huge crash at the end of Q3 in Qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix as the four-time world champion lost control of his Red Bull, crushing his hopes of claiming pole

[Max Verstappen]

Max Verstappen crashed at the end of Qualifying in Austria

Max Verstappen suffered a huge crash at the end of Q3 in Qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion was right in the hunt for pole position when he crashed at the penultimate corner at the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull and went sideways before crashing into the barriers. He exited the car unharmed.

Verstappen appeared to get onto the curb too much before his car slid after losing the rears. Yellow flags were flown with half of the field still yet to come through the corner.

[Max Verstappen]

Max Verstappen crashed out of Qualifying

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Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had already set the two fastest laps respectively and had provisionally blocked out the front row. But George Russell then set a monstrous time to claim pole despite having to drive through the section after Verstappen had crashed.

Russell appeared to drive through just one single yellow flag and lifted before continuing on course to set a lap good enough to leapfrog the two Ferraris.

However, controversy and chaos has subsequently followed with Russell's lap under investigation regarding whether he sufficiently lifted coming up to the incident.

[Max Verstappen]

Verstappen was unharmed after his crash

[Charles Leclerc]

There was confusion between Charles Leclerc and George Russell regarding who claimed pole

Just further down the road, Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli lifted and aborted his lap, meaning he qualified in P4. The Italian only drove through single yellow flags, but admitted his mistake, believing they were double waved.

No further action was the decision taken by the stewards for Russell's potential yellow flag infringement, meaning the Brit keeps his pole position. It appears on the replays that Russell drove through a single yellow flag and lifted correctly.

Verstappen's previous lap time was still good enough to see him qualify in P5. The two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri follow in P6 and P7, respectively.

[George Russell]

George Russell will start from pole on Sunday

Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull and both Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad round out the top 10.

Russell, who is set to start Sunday's race on pole, said: "I feel incredible, it was such an amazing lap. I saw the yellow flag, I had a big lift into the corner, I was five tenths up and I came up the last corner, two and a half tenths up so."

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

Speaking to Sky Sports, Verstappen said: "That lap already in Turn 6 on the entry, (I had a) big moment so that was a bit weird because the whole weekend I've never had something like that. And then I arrived at Turn 9, I turned in and it was immediately gone. It's not even a small correction it was just a full lock off so that's a bit odd.

"But we'll have a look. It's a shame, I think realistically we could have been P3, so it's a little bit better than P5. But I could tell you also realistically I think even if we could have been P3, coming off the line is hard for us so I would probably drop back to P5!"

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