Austrian GP 2026: Ferrari surprises everyone as Charles Leclerc qualifies second and Lewis Hamilton third
Ferrari exceeded expectations in qualifying for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc securing second place on the grid and Lewis Hamilton lining up third after an impressive turnaround by the Scuderia.
Following a much more encouraging third practice session, during which Ferrari appeared to solve several of the balance issues that had affected the SF-26 earlier in the weekend, optimism around the team steadily increased. Even so, few expected the Scuderia to emerge as Mercedes‘ closest challenger in qualifying.
George Russell eventually claimed pole position despite the controversy surrounding the yellow flags triggered by Max Verstappen’s late crash, while Ferrari celebrated one of its strongest qualifying performances of the season.
The team once again demonstrated its ability to transform the car overnight through extensive simulator work and targeted setup changes made after Friday’s sessions. Although Ferrari did not look like the favourite for pole throughout most of qualifying, everything came together during the decisive final laps of Q3.
For a brief moment, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton occupied the front row before George Russell produced a faster lap despite passing through the final sector after Verstappen’s accident. The Mercedes driver was judged to have slowed sufficiently under the yellow flags, allowing his lap to stand and securing pole position.
Charles Leclerc: “I didn’t think we’d be starting from the front row”
Charles Leclerc admitted he was pleasantly surprised by Ferrari’s performance after a difficult run of weekends for both himself and the team.
“I’m relatively happy with how today went. Obviously, the last few weekends have been quite difficult for me and for the team, so I simply wanted to have a clean weekend and, above all, a qualifying session without any issues so that I could start tomorrow’s race in the best possible way. Starting from second place is certainly a great position to begin the race.
“The team pushed incredibly hard to bring the upgrades to Barcelona, and they did the same again this weekend. Seeing all that effort paying off is fantastic. To be completely honest, I didn’t think we’d be starting from the front row until qualifying actually began. That’s why it’s such a pleasant surprise for all of us to be this high up on the grid.”
Despite the disappointment of narrowly missing out on pole position, Ferrari leaves Spielberg with plenty of positives. Having both cars fighting at the front underlines the progress made in recent races, with the latest upgrades—including the new ADUO 1 engine package, estimated to deliver around seven additional horsepower—helping provide both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton with a well-balanced car capable of performing over both a single lap and long race stints.
Charles Leclerc made no secret of his surprise at Ferrari’s pace and knows Sunday’s race presents a genuine opportunity to challenge for his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Lewis Hamilton praises Ferrari’s work behind the scenes
Lewis Hamilton also expressed his satisfaction with Ferrari’s performance and took the opportunity to thank everyone at Maranello for the relentless effort invested in improving the SF-26.
“Having both Ferraris in second and third is simply fantastic. This result is tangible proof of the incredible work that’s being done every single day behind the scenes at the factory in Maranello. The guys just keep pushing without stopping.
“They brought some small upgrades here in Austria as well, and they’ve worked incredibly hard to improve the car in every area. All of that effort is really starting to pay off on track. I made a mistake in Q3 and unfortunately didn’t make the most of my first flying lap. Even with that small regret, I can honestly say I’m very happy with where we’ve ended up.”
With both Ferrari drivers starting immediately behind pole-sitter George Russell, the Scuderia heads into Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix with renewed confidence and a realistic opportunity to fight for victory if its encouraging race pace matches the strong qualifying performance.
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