Russell takes pole for Austrian GP as Verstappen crashes

Briton George Russell put Mercedes on pole position on Saturday for Formula One's Austrian Grand Prix, as Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished closely behind him.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli took fourth place on Sunday's grid as his Mercedes team continued their streak of securing pole position for the eighth race in a row.

Russell, who also took pole at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix two weeks, came under investigation for a potential double-yellow flag violation as Max Verstappen crashed out while the Briton was finishing his final lap which put him ahead of Leclerc.

However, the investigation was later waved off.

"It was a single yellow and should be okay," Russell said in his post-qualifying interview.