Russell takes his fourth pole of the year, Leclerc qualifies on the front row in Austria for the fourth time in the last five years and Alonso records his worst Red Bull Ring qualifying result. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix!
RUSSELL ON POLE AT THE 2026 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX
George Russell took pole position for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, securing the 11th pole position of his career and his fourth pole of the season. It puts him 37th in F1’s all-time pole list, moving ahead of Jochen Rindt.
Russell was fastest in qualifying at two consecutive Grands Prix for the first time in his Formula 1 career. This will be the second time that he has started from pole at two races in a row since the 2024 Las Vegas and Qatar Grands Prix. He was promoted to the front of the grid at the latter race following a grid penalty for Max Verstappen.
This was the first pole position for Mercedes at the Red Bull Ring since Lewis Hamilton secured pole at the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix.
This was the first time Russell qualified on the front row in Spielberg. His previous best qualifying result here was third at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
IN THE TOP TEN
Charles Leclerc qualified on the front row for the first time this season. It was his first front row qualification since the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix.
This is the fourth time in the last five years that Leclerc has qualified on the front row at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton remains the only driver to reach Q3 at every Red Bull Ring race since the track returned to the calendar in 2014. Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson also maintained their 100% Q3 appearance rates at the venue.
This was Hamilton’s first top three qualifying result at the Red Bull Ring since the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, qualifying outside of the top three for the first time this season after aborting his final lap after Max Verstappen’s crash in the final sector in the closing moments of Q3.
With Max Verstappen fifth and Isack Hadjar eighth in qualifying for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, this is the second year in a row that neither Red Bull driver has qualified on the front two rows at the team’s home event.
Qualifying sixth, Lando Norris qualified outside of the top four at the Red Bull Ring for the first time since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri qualified seventh at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, setting seventh fastest lap time in Q3 for the third successive Grand Prix weekend.
Piastri remains yet to out-qualify his team-mate in any of his four appearances at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull junior team recorded their first double Q3 appearance at the Austrian Grand Prix since 2021.
Lawson reached Q3 for a third successive race equalling the longest Q3 streak of his career, last recorded at the 2025 Belgian, Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix.
Arvid Lindblad reached Q3 for the fourth time in his eight Grand Prix appearances to date in his rookie season.
ELIMINATED IN Q2
Haas recorded a double Q2 elimination at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix – their first at the Red Bull Ring since their first appearance here in 2016.
Esteban Ocon ended a streak of three successive Q1 eliminations by qualifying in 15th place for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix.
With Gabriel Bortoleto qualifying 12th and Nico Hulkenberg qualifying 14th for Audi, this is the first time since 2019 that neither of the former Sauber team’s drivers were eliminated in Q1 at the Red Bull Ring.
This was Audi’s fourth double Q2 elimination of the 2026 season.
Qualifying 14th, Hulkenberg recorded his worst qualifying result of the season to date.
With both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto out in Q2, this was the first time since 2021 that neither Alpine driver progressed to Q3 at the Austrian Grand Prix.
This is the second race weekend in a row in which both Alpine drivers exited in Q2.
16th place equalled Franco Colapinto’s worst qualifying result of the season, having last qualified outside of the top 15 at the Australian Grand Prix.
OUT IN Q1
Williams recorded a double Q1 exit at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. It was the second time that both Williams drivers were eliminated in Q1 this year, after the Chinese Grand Prix.
At least one Williams driver has exited in Q1 at the Red Bull Ring in every race at the track since 2016. This is the team’s fifth double Q1 exit at the circuit during that period.
Carlos Sainz recorded his third Q1 exit of the year, ending a streak of five successive Q2 eliminations. This is the second year in a row that Sainz exited in Q1 at the Red Bull Ring, having never been eliminated in the first part of qualifying at the track prior to his tenure at Williams.
Alex Albon was eliminated in Q1 for the second race weekend in a row. This was Albon’s second Q1 exit at the Red Bull Ring, after 2024.
Albon equalled his worst qualifying result of the year, qualifying 18th for the fourth time this season. It was his worst qualifying result to date in his eight appearances at the Red Bull Ring.
Both Aston Martin drivers and both Cadillac drivers have been eliminated in Q1 at all of the first eight races of the 2026 season.
Aston Martin recorded their first double Q1 exit at the Red Bull Ring since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
This was Fernando Alonso’s first-ever Q1 exit at the Red Bull Ring. 21st was Alonso’s worst qualifying result at the track, his previous worst being 19th at the 2003 Austrian Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll exited in Q1 at the Austrian Grand Prix for the third year in a row. Stroll qualified in last place for the fourth time this season.
This was Sergio Perez’s first Q1 exit at the Red Bull Ring since the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix.