Austrian GP Qualifying Review: Russell’s Controversial Pole
6/27/202625 min
Did George Russell get a lucky break to take pole? The Mercedes driver did nothing wrong, but questions are being asked about whether race control was too slow to wave double yellow flags after Max Verstappen's crash at the end of qualifying. Harry Benjamin is joined by Sam Bird and Andrew Benson to debate the controversy, and they hear from both Russell and Verstappen.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsHarry Benjamin· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Five Live Formula One. Welcome to your checkered flag review of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, and spoiler alert coming your way, it's George Russell on pole. Yeah, qualifying ending in curious conditions, uh, at the Red Bull Ring. Joining me to discuss what on earth happened is multiple Formula E race winner Sam Bird and the BBC's F1 correspondent Andrew Benson. And Sam, it really was a bizarre end to qualifying with George Russell setting pole but confusion over yellow flags for Max Verstappen's high-speed crash in turn nine.
Sam Bird· Guest0:37
It was, wasn't it, Harry? Hugely confusing to the point where when we were watching live, we were all but convinced that it was going to be Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton front row, and it was actually our producer Paddy going, "No, no, no. You need to be watching George Russell." Because we, we all thought that it was done and dusted when we saw Max Verstappen going off on the exit at turn nine, but, um, George Russell knows the rule book very, very well.
Harry Benjamin· Host1:03
He does. There are light panels, there are marshalls with manual flags being waved at the track, and for George Russell, he received a, a single waved flag on the, on the panel flashing for Max Verstappen's crash, which means he lifted off, which we heard and we saw. But unlike with a double yellow, Andrew, where you have to slow down, abort the lap, be prepared to stop, he didn't need to do that. He knows the rule book well, and ultimately