2026 Austrian GP Qualifying Results
Every car frozen on the finish line, with each gap to George Russell’s pole shown to scale in real metres. Qualifying at Spielberg, round 8.
Open the interactive 3D Gap Visualizer →Austrian Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying: what happened
George Russell took pole for the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying with a 1:06.113 for Mercedes at Spielberg. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was 0.236s behind, and at racing speed that is 21.2 m of track between them as they crossed the line.
Lewis Hamilton completed the top three for Ferrari, 0.295s off George Russell, a double top-three for Ferrari. Across the whole classified order the field spread out to 381.3 m, from George Russell to Lance Stroll.
The closest call of the session was between Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli: 0.006s apart, about 0.54 m at speed.
| # | Driver | Team | Lap time | Gap | Behind (to scale) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:06.113 | Pole | — |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:06.349 | +0.236 | 21.2 m |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:06.408 | +0.295 | 26.5 m |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:06.414 | +0.301 | 27.0 m |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:06.475 | +0.362 | 32.5 m |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:06.502 | +0.389 | 34.9 m |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:06.511 | +0.398 | 35.7 m |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:06.632 | +0.519 | 46.6 m |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:06.955 | +0.842 | 75.5 m |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:07.007 | +0.894 | 80.2 m |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:07.223 | +1.110 | 99.6 m |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:07.293 | +1.180 | 105.9 m |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:07.523 | +1.410 | 126.5 m |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:07.611 | +1.498 | 134.4 m |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:07.817 | +1.704 | 152.9 m |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:08.171 | +2.058 | 184.6 m |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:08.252 | +2.139 | 191.9 m |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:08.509 | +2.396 | 215.0 m |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:08.945 | +2.832 | 254.1 m |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:09.030 | +2.917 | 261.7 m |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:09.942 | +3.829 | 343.5 m |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:10.363 | +4.250 | 381.3 m |
How big is the gap, really?
George Russell took qualifying pole at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:06.113. On the timesheet the field looks bunched into tenths, but at racing speed those tenths stretch out: from pole to Lance Stroll the field covers 381.3 m. Open the 3D visualizer to see it to scale, car by car.
Austrian Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying: your questions
- Who took pole at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026?
- George Russell (Mercedes) took pole at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 qualifying with a 1:06.113 at Spielberg.
- How close was qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026?
- George Russell beat Charles Leclerc to pole by 0.236s. At racing speed that margin is 21.2 m of track. Across the whole field, from pole to Lance Stroll in P22, the spread is 4.250s or 381.3 m.
- How far behind was Charles Leclerc at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026?
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) qualified P2 in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:06.349, 0.236s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 21.2 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026?
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) qualified P3 in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:06.408, 0.295s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 26.5 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Kimi Antonelli at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026?
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) qualified P4 in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:06.414, 0.301s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 27.0 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026?
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) qualified P5 in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:06.475, 0.362s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 32.5 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026?
- Lando Norris (McLaren) qualified P6 in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:06.502, 0.389s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 34.9 m of track behind.
- How much is a tenth of a second in metres at Spielberg?
- On this lap a tenth of a second is worth roughly 9.0 m of track. That is why Charles Leclerc's 0.236s at the Austrian Grand Prix 2026 puts 21.2 m between the cars on the finish line.