George Russell led the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 qualifying pace with a fastest lap of 1:06.113, while Max Verstappen could only manage sixth. The rest of Q3 tightened around Leclerc (second), Hamilton (fourth), and Norris (sixth in the final order).
By the time the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 qualifying timing flashed up for Q3, Spielberg had already started to feel like a fight for the front row. George Russell put his mark down with the fastest lap of 1:06.113, then held it long enough for the lap times to settle around him.
Russell finished qualifying as the fastest qualifier after setting the fastest lap of 1:06.113 in Q3. Charles Leclerc posted 1:06.349 in Q3 and finished second. Lewis Hamilton followed with a 1:06.408 lap in Q3 to take third. Kimi Antonelli, on 1:06.763 in Q3 after showing 1:07.083 earlier, landed fifth after the final round. Max Verstappen’s Q3 best came at 1:06.475, and he finished sixth.
The McLaren pair rounded out the next row of the sprint: Lando Norris went 1:06.502 in Q3 to finish seventh. while Oscar Piastri turned 1:06.511 in Q3 for eighth. Isack Hadjar produced a 1:06.632 Q3 lap for ninth. Liam Lawson was just behind on 1:06.955 in Q3 for tenth. Arvid Lindblad completed the top 11 with a 1:07.007 Q3 lap.
Further back, the Q2 run still carried real weight for the grid. Pierre Gasly qualified 11th after 1:07.223 in Q2. Gabriel Bortoleto was 12th with a 1:07.293 Q2 lap. Oliver Bearman went 1:07.523 in Q2 for 13th, while Nico Hulkenberg clocked 1:07.611 in Q2 to finish 14th. Esteban Ocon took 15th with 1:07.817 in Q2, and Franco Colapinto qualified 16th after a 1:08.171 Q2 time.
In Q1, the margins tightened again. Carlos Sainz Jnr qualified 17th with 1:08.252. Alexander Albon was 18th on 1:08.509. Sergio Perez ended 19th after 1:08.945, and Valtteri Bottas qualified 20th with 1:09.030. Fernando Alonso finished 21st at 1:09.942, while Lance Stroll took 22nd with 1:10.363.
The pattern was visible in the lap timing alone: Russell’s 1:06.113 in Q3 sat at the sharp end. while the rest of the grid clustered between Leclerc’s 1:06.349 and Verstappen’s 1:06.475. From there. each next position marched through the numbers—Antonelli’s 1:06.763. Norris’s 1:06.502 and Piastri’s 1:06.511. then the wave that followed into 1:06.632. 1:06.955. and 1:07.007.
For Spielberg, qualifying has set the rhythm. The front is anchored by Russell at 1:06.113, and Verstappen’s sixth-place finish with a 1:06.475 Q3 lap leaves him hunting for time when the race clock starts moving for real.
Austrian Grand Prix 2026 qualifying George Russell fastest lap 1:06.113 Spielberg Max Verstappen Charles Leclerc Lewis Hamilton Kimi Antonelli Lando Norris Oscar Piastri F1 qualifying live