Verstappen backs Russell's Austrian pole but says lap should never have been allowed

Max Verstappen has backed George Russell for exploiting the rulebook to claim pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix, while arguing the Mercedes driver should never have been allowed to complete the lap in the first place.

Verstappen crashed heavily at the penultimate corner of the Red Bull Ring during Q3 last Saturday, triggering yellow flag conditions in a chaotic end to qualifying. The controversy centred on whether the flags shown were single-waved or double-waved — a distinction that determines whether a driver can improve their lap time or must abort.

Stewards ruled it was a single yellow, meaning Russell, who was directly behind Verstappen when the crash occurred, was permitted to lift sufficiently in the final sector and still bank the pole time. His Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, on provisional pole at the time, read the situation as a double yellow and aborted his lap, ultimately qualifying fourth behind both Ferraris.

“It’s a topic that we have been talking about for a long time,” Verstappen said at Silverstone ahead of the British Grand Prix. “In other series, when you create a double yellow or a red, you lose your lap. It should not have been a single yellow — that is at least double yellow or a red.”

Despite his frustration with the flag call, the four-time world champion was clear that Russell bore no personal blame. “That the driver then of course optimises around it, I think that’s fair play. I probably would have tried to do the same — that’s just how it goes. But it should not even be allowed or be impossible to finish your lap like that. I think that’s for me the main concern in all of it.”

Carlos Sainz echoed that view from a different angle, suggesting that any driver who causes a red flag in qualifying should face an automatic penalty regardless of intent. The Williams driver was nonetheless equally firm in defending Russell’s conduct.

“The way George handled it I think was perfect for what the rulebook allows you to do and he deserved that pole position because he played the rules to perfection,” said Sainz. “But it should never have been allowed to finish that lap or to close a lap in that kind of dangerous situation.”

Russell went on to win the Austrian Grand Prix from pole, making the debate over the flag classification all the more pointed as the paddock reconvenes at Silverstone.