Summary

  • Dramatic end to qualifying as George Russell claims pole position

  • Mercedes' Russell snatches pole from Charles Leclerc after Max Verstappen crashes late on

  • Leclerc will start second with Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton third

  • Title leader Kimi Antonelli qualifies in fourth

  • Out in Q2: Gasly, Bortoleto, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Colapinto

  • Out in Q1: Sainz, Albon, Perez, Bottas, Alonso, Stroll

  • Austrian Grand Prix declared heat-hazard race amid heatwave

  • Send us your views by selecting 'Get Involved'

Live Reporting

Jay Freeman and Tasnim Chowdhury

  1. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    The stewards will have to look at that, I am not sure that that will stand. On a fast corner like that, you have to show that you have sufficiently slowed down, the times are so tight. I wonder if that is going to count.

  2. Harry Benjamin
    BBC F1 Commentator

    George Russell goes top of the time sheet, but will he have shown sufficiently that he has slowed down? The yellow flag is in the final sector, that will be looked at.

  3. chequered flag

    Chequered flag

    George Russell is, at this point, technically fastest man on track as Q3 ends but his mega lap of 1:06.113 I think has come during double waved yellows in the aftermath of Max Verstappen's crash.

    I'm not sure if that's going to stand..

    Stay tuned.

  4. yellow flag

    Yellow flag

    Max VerstappenGetty Images

    Max Verstappen has had an off into the penultimate corner and there's a yellow flag!

    What would that lap time have looked like?!

    Chaos in the final few seconds of Q3! Charles Leclerc is fastest! But is he..?

  5. Hamilton fastest

    Lewis Hamilton goes onto provisional pole!

    He gives it full send round the Red Bull Ring and sets a 1:06.408.

    But will it be good enough?!

  6. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Going back to George Russell and the mindset thing, the fact that he has been so far off Kimi Antonelli most of the weekend and now all of a sudden when it matters, he has got within half a tenth. I might just be smelling a bit of blood in the water there. Not that Antonelli is wounded but that will give him a lot of confidence going into this final run.

  7. Six one hundredths of a second separates the top three.

    Rapid stuff today.

    Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton is out in his Ferrari. Have they misjudged this session? He'll need something special here with the relative pace Mercedes - and Max Verstappen - have set.

    Lewis HamiltonGetty Images

  8. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    We have seen a lot of drivers struggling with exactly that [braking] at Turn Three. One of the hardest braking points, probably in the calendar, is Turn Three here in Austria. It is an area that is catching people out.

  9. Top five

    1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

    2. George Russell (Mercedes)

    3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

    4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

    5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

  10. Hamilton: "Can I go for a second lap?"

    Engineer: "Negative."

    Hamilton: "We were supposed to have a banker... why?"

  11. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton's back in the Ferrari garage. He's come in without a banker lap.

    He's the only driver not to set a time so far with just under five minutes left on the clock.

  12. Anything you can do better...

    Kimi Antonelli's having none of that. He belts his Mercedes round the track and goes fastest with a 1:06.414.

    And he's joined by George Russell who goes second 0.043 seconds behind.

  13. Verstappen fastest

    Lando Norris sets a 1:06.900 with the first lap of Q3 but here comes Max Verstappen with a monster of a lap.

    The Orange Army roars as he crosses with a remarkable 1:06.475 - the fastest time we've had all weekend.

    Max VerstappenGetty Images

  14. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    We have all discounted George Russell. He has got the fastest car out there. If he makes some tweaks, either software wise or driving wise, there is no reason why he can't join his team-mate on the front row of the grid.

  15. Go! Go! Go!

    Q3 is a-go!

    This is going to be exciting, isn't it?

  16. So, both Alpines, Haas' and Audis out of Q2. This is after Williams, Cadillac and Aston Martin ducked out after Q1.

    Not much mixing about among the drivers, it's very much a team game today. Albeit Max Verstappen ran very close to breaking the team elimination pattern.

    Verstappen, however, goes into Q3 with two new sets of tyres so he could benefit from narrowly avoiding being booted out.

    Max VerstappenGetty Images

  17. Team radio - Gasly to Alpine

    Gasly: "That felt like a very good lap. Tell me we're through"

    Engineer: "We're not unfortunately mate"

    Gasly: "Ah"

  18. Get Involved

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    Cadillac, a brand new from-scratch team, a second ahead of Aston Martin. Brilliant for them, embarrassing for the latter with their means available. And no it's not all Honda's.

    Nick, Wirral

  19. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    I think [Max Verstappen] left time on the table out of Turn Nine, he had another half a metre of track he could have used to carry a bit more minimum speed through Turn Nine. Lucky escape there for Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

  20. Squeaky bum time in the Red Bull garage shortly before the end of that session.

    Max Verstappen was almost knocked out by Pierre Gasly, who fell just short of reaching Q3 by two hundredths of a second.

    Dutch fans in the grandstandGetty Images