George Russell secured pole position for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix after a chaotic Q3 session saw Max Verstappen crash heavily at high speed. The Red Bull driver's incident brought out yellow flags just as Russell completed his final flying lap, creating confusion over whether the Mercedes driver should have been allowed to claim the top spot.

Footage revealed only a single yellow flag was waving when Russell passed Verstappen's stricken car, which then changed to double yellows before Russell crossed the finish line. Despite the unclear situation, the FIA cleared Russell of any yellow-flag infringement, confirming his place ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start fourth after wisely aborting his lap when he saw the yellow flags. The Italian sits 41 points clear of Hamilton and 50 ahead of Russell, who now has back-to-back poles. Starting behind his main rivals gives Antonelli a strategic headache in his title fight.

Verstappen salvaged fifth on the grid after his strong opening Q3 lap, while McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could only manage sixth and seventh respectively. The race starts at 2pm on Sunday with live coverage on Sky Sports F1.