Russell puts Mercedes on pole in Hungary

George Russell claimed the first pole position of his Formula One career for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old edged out Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by just 0.044 seconds, with Charles Leclerc third.

Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh with Max Verstappen 10th on the grid after he suffered with mechanical problems.

Sainz and Leclerc looked as though they had secured a front-row lockout for Ferrari only for Russell to snatch a shock result with a brilliant final lap at the Hungaroring.

“Come on, whoooo, come on, yes, you beauty, you beauty,” said Russell over the radio, unable to hide his delight at his maiden pole and Mercedes’ first of the season.

“Amazing. We needed that.”

Verstappen locked up at Turn 2 on his opening run in Q3, finishing 1.7 seconds behind, and then reported he had no power as he geared up for his final attempt.