Should Russell's Pole Have Counted? | 2026 Austrian GP Review

Should Russell's pole have even counted? We break down the yellow-flag row that overshadowed Austria, plus his bounce-back win, Verstappen's Red Bull revival, and a British GP preview.

In this episode, Tom and Chris review the 2026 Austrian GP: the controversial pole that had the whole paddock asking questions, George Russell's important win, Antonelli's mistake-strewn afternoon, Red Bull's upgrade step for Verstappen, Ferrari's latest strategy headache with Hamilton, and a chaotic Racing Bulls team-orders call. Then we look ahead to Silverston. Can the 2026 cars handle a proper high-speed circuit, and is this the weekend Russell finally breaks his home curse?

0:00 Intro & what's coming up
0:27 Austrian GP review: did Russell's pole count?
10:45 Russell converts pole into a win
13:17 Antonelli's messy weekend
16:48 Verstappen & Red Bull's upgrade step
24:18 The penalty trap on Norris's engine fix
27:21 Ferrari's strategy blunders strike again
31:32 Racing Bulls' team-orders mess
34:03 Midfield report: Audi, Williams, Aston & Cadillac
38:29 Silly season: where next for Pérez?
41:03 Driver of the Day
42:58 Move of the Day
45:05 Award: the camera gimmicks (drone & "head cam")
52:06 Prediction League results
54:05 F1 Fantasy & Grid Rival update
55:34 British GP preview: Silverstone storylines
1:03:13 Our Silverstone predictions
1:07:13 Your questions (mailbag)
1:12:55 Wrap-up & sprint weekend reminder

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Back of the Grid is a weekly F1 podcast by fans, for fans, hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday in season.

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