Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has raised concerns about the race control decisions during the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday, June 27, 2026, after George Russell claimed pole position despite a late yellow flag situation.
Russell allegedly had to lift during his fastest lap after Max Verstappen crashed in the penultimate corner, triggering discussions about safety protocols and driver compliance under caution flags.
The Scuderia secured the second and third grid positions behind Russell, but Vasseur expressed mixed emotions about the result, highlighting both the team's progress and his concerns regarding safety officiating.
"First of all, I want to take the positive from this," said Vasseur. "P2 and P3 and we had the pace in qualifying.
That's good, it's a nice step forward for the team after Barcelona. Now we have to focus on the race."
Vasseur pressed further on why the race stewards did not deploy stricter track-side warnings given the severity of the accident and the deployment of safety vehicles.
"In that regard, there is a rule.
You can ask yourself why they didn't wave a double yellow flag, given that there was a car in the wall and they sent the medical car onto the track.
That is a point," he said.
He warned that the precedent set during this session could influence driver behavior in future competitive sessions.
"The tricky part is that for the next qualifying session we already know that everyone will continue to push anyway if there is a yellow flag.
But it is what it is; let's focus on the race, that's more important," Vasseur added.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who lost control of his upgraded car in the final stages of the session, admitted he was pushing the absolute limits of the circuit.
"A bit too much risk," said Verstappen. The reigning champion expressed surprise at the behavior of his vehicle during the high-speed impact.
"I have never experienced this here before," he added.
Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli also commented on the incident, noting the potential dangers of the high-speed section where the crash occurred.
"Then it can end very badly," said Antonelli.
