Phew! George Russell, hit by ill-luck as well as nagging doubts over the last few months, claimed pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix to warm up his world championship hopes.
But not without a moment of jeopardy, predictably enough.
Nothing has run smoothly for the Briton since his win in Australia on the opening weekend of the season. And so here was another in-the-balance moment even as he executed a final flying lap of pulverising precision.
The critical juncture arrived right at the end of qualifying. Max Verstappen ran off the track at the penultimate corner, spinning to a stop. A yellow flag was waved, requiring drivers to slow down. Charles Leclerc, already home, led the timesheets. And his Ferrari mechanics jumped for joy.
They were soon made to look silly billies because Russell was still on a charge, and, despite lifting off in acknowledgment of the warning flags, flying to his 11th career pole by a hefty 0.236sec.
George Russell celebrates putting himself front of the grid in Austria
He celebrated as if convinced his lap was legal. His conviction was proved right when the stewards, who had noted a possible infringement, cleared him of any transgression. And thus, for once in Russell’s campaign, the ball landed on the right side of the net.
Leclerc will share the front row with him. Lewis Hamilton starts third and, most importantly for Russell, his Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fourth.
An interesting footnote: Antonelli aborted his flying lap, mistakenly believing Verstappen’s pirouette had elicited a double-waved yellow flag, not a single. At this point, Antonelli was up on Leclerc but down on Russell, who now needs to convert his advantage into a much-needed win.
As for his pole-clinching speed, it came as something of a surprise. Yes, he had set the fastest time in the final practice session, but the impression was that his 19-year-old understudy might hold the upper hand, based on his impressive turn of speed over most of the weekend.
Of the yellow-flag incident, Russell, who trails Antonelli by 50 points after seven of 22 rounds, said: ‘I was glad common sense prevailed. A single yellow was correct. A double yellow means immediate danger. I did everything right to be very much under control. I lifted for 100 metres and lost a huge amount of time.
‘It was one of those magic laps, and I am so pleased because it has been a real tough run for me.’
At one point, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff came on to the radio, imploring Russell: ‘Just drive.’ It sounded like an admonishment. It wasn’t.
‘Probably his Austrian accent,’ smiled Russell afterwards, explaining the comment was born of their recent conversations about Russell’s need not to over-push or overthink.
Max Verstappen’s late crash dialled up the drama – and he still managed to qualify fifth
‘I said to myself, “Don’t overdrive it. Just enjoy it.’ Perhaps I have been overdriving. But it is so difficult when you are on the backfoot to say you are going to try less hard and brake five metres earlier – it doesn’t compute. It is not how our brains work but sometimes it is the fastest way.’
Russell added: ‘It is the eighth race of the season, my fourth pole, but I have never been able to turn these into enough good results. Moments like restore my confidence. Last year, every lap and session, I had the confidence in the car to push it to the limit and know what it was going to do.
‘It has been challenging a lot of times this season, but I have not forgotten how to drive. Kimi has done an amazing job, day in and day out. But do I have the belief I can beat him? Yes, 100 per cent. I just need to make it click again.’
Antonelli’s nearest championship pursuer is Hamilton, a first-time winner for Ferrari in Barcelona a fortnight ago and 41 points off the top as a result. He erred on his first flying lap but kept his composure on his concluding attempt to keep himself in the frame, pinning his early hopes, he said, on the long run into Turn Three.
Further back, Verstappen qualified fifth, ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. It is a stacked grid, but they would all swap places with last-gasp George.
