Russell will start ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3.
World Championship leader Max Verstappen, who topped Q2, suffered a disastrous Q3 and will start 10th for Red Bull.
Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying results: Russell on pole from Sainz
| Cla | Driver | Time | Gap | km/h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  George Russell |  | 1'17.377 | 203.828 | |
| 2 |  Carlos Sainz |  | 1'17.421 | 0.044 | 203.712 |
| 3 |  Charles Leclerc |  | 1'17.567 | 0.190 | 203.328 |
| 4 | Lando Norris |  | 1'17.769 | 0.392 | 202.800 |
| 5 |  Esteban Ocon |  | 1'18.018 | 0.641 | 202.153 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso |  | 1'18.078 | 0.701 | 201.998 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton |  | 1'18.142 | 0.765 | 201.832 |
| 8 |  Valtteri Bottas |  | 1'18.157 | 0.780 | 201.793 |
| 9 |  Daniel Ricciardo |  | 1'18.379 | 1.002 | 201.222 |
| 10 |  Max Verstappen |  | 1'18.823 | 1.446 | 200.088 |
| 11 |  Sergio Perez |  | 1'18.516 | 1.139 | 200.871 |
| 12 |  Zhou Guanyu |  | 1'18.573 | 1.196 | 200.725 |
| 13 |  Kevin Magnussen |  | 1'18.825 | 1.448 | 200.083 |
| 14 |  Lance Stroll |  | 1'19.137 | 1.760 | 199.294 |
| 15 |  Mick Schumacher |  | 1'19.202 | 1.825 | 199.131 |
| 16 |  Yuki Tsunoda |  | 1'19.240 | 1.863 | 199.035 |
| 17 |  Alex Albon |  | 1'19.256 | 1.879 | 198.995 |
| 18 | Sebastian Vettel |  | 1'19.273 | 1.896 | 198.952 |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly |  | 1'19.527 | 2.150 | 198.317 |
| 20 | Nicholas Latifi |  | 1'19.570 | 2.193 | 198.210 |
| View full results | |||||
What happened in Hungarian Grand Prix Q1?
On a dry track, but with ominous black clouds threatening rain, Verstappen set the early pace at 1m19.020s. On subsequent push laps on the same soft tyres, he extended his advantage with a 1m18.792s and then 1m18.509s.
Leclerc went P2, three tenths down on his title rival, but was quickly pipped by teammate Sainz, who was just 0.052s in arrears of the fastest time after the opening runs.
The Mercedes duo ran on fresh tyres at the end, Lewis Hamilton grabbing P1 with 1m18.374s, 0.033s faster than Russell and 0.06s ahead of Sainz. Verstappen was fourth, over a tenth off the pace.
Falling at the first hurdle were Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Alex Albon (Williams), Sebastian Vettel (whose Aston Martin was repaired just in time after a big shunt in FP3), Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri, who lost his fastest lap due to exceeding track limits at Turn 5) and Nicholas Latifi – who had topped FP3 in the wet for Williams but messed up at the final corner on his quickest lap.
Hungarian Grand Prix Q1 results: Hamilton fastest from Russell
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1'18.374 | 201.235 | ||
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1'18.407 | 0.033 | 0.033 | 201.150 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1'18.434 | 0.060 | 0.027 | 201.081 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1'18.509 | 0.135 | 0.075 | 200.889 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1'18.653 | 0.279 | 0.144 | 200.521 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1'18.716 | 0.342 | 0.063 | 200.360 |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1'18.775 | 0.401 | 0.059 | 200.210 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1'18.806 | 0.432 | 0.031 | 200.131 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1'18.866 | 0.492 | 0.060 | 199.979 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1'18.935 | 0.561 | 0.069 | 199.804 |
| 11 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1'18.973 | 0.599 | 0.038 | 199.708 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1'18.993 | 0.619 | 0.020 | 199.658 |
| 13 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1'19.118 | 0.744 | 0.125 | 199.342 |
| 14 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1'19.164 | 0.790 | 0.046 | 199.226 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1'19.205 | 0.831 | 0.041 | 199.123 |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1'19.240 | 0.866 | 0.035 | 199.035 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1'19.256 | 0.882 | 0.016 | 198.995 |
| 18 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1'19.273 | 0.899 | 0.017 | 198.952 |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1'19.527 | 1.153 | 0.254 | 198.317 |
| 20 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1'19.570 | 1.196 | 0.043 | 198.210 |
| View full results | ||||||
What happened in Hungarian Grand Prix Q2?
Verstappen set the bar at 1m17.703s, 0.065s ahead of Leclerc and two tenths clear of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso. Sainz was fourth, ahead of Hamilton.
Knocked out at this point were Sergio Perez (Red Bull) who blamed Kevin Magnussen for getting in his way at Turn 3 and missed the cut by 0.071s, Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), Magnussen (Haas), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Mick Schumacher (Haas).
Hungarian Grand Prix Q2 results: Verstappen fastest from Leclerc
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1'17.703 | 202.972 | ||
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1'17.768 | 0.065 | 0.065 | 202.803 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1'17.904 | 0.201 | 0.136 | 202.449 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1'17.946 | 0.243 | 0.042 | 202.340 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1'18.035 | 0.332 | 0.089 | 202.109 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1'18.121 | 0.418 | 0.086 | 201.886 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1'18.154 | 0.451 | 0.033 | 201.801 |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1'18.198 | 0.495 | 0.044 | 201.688 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1'18.216 | 0.513 | 0.018 | 201.641 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1'18.445 | 0.742 | 0.229 | 201.052 |
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1'18.516 | 0.813 | 0.071 | 200.871 |
| 12 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1'18.573 | 0.870 | 0.057 | 200.725 |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1'18.825 | 1.122 | 0.252 | 200.083 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1'19.137 | 1.434 | 0.312 | 199.294 |
| 15 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1'19.202 | 1.499 | 0.065 | 199.131 |
| View full results | ||||||
What happened in Hungarian Grand Prix Q3?
On the first runs, Sainz set the pace with 1m17.505s, almost half a second quicker than Leclerc. Russell split the Ferraris in P2, while Verstappen ran wide at Turn 3 and languished down in seventh.
On the final runs, Leclerc stopped the clocks in 1m17.567s, but only good enough for P2 – 0.062s down on Sainz’s original provisional pole time – but Sainz extended his advantage to 0.146s with a 1m17.421s.
But Russell grabbed pole right at the end with a sensational lap of 1m17.377s, 0.044s ahead of Sainz.
Leclerc will start third, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and Verstappen – who suffered a loss of power on his out lap and couldn’t remedy the problem from inside the cockpit.
Hungarian Grand Prix Q3 results: Russell takes pole
| Cla | Nº | Driver | Car / Engine | Time | Delay | Delay % | Laps | km/h |
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1'17.377 | 6 | 203.828 | ||
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1'17.421 | 0.044 | 0.057 | 6 | 203.712 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1'17.567 | 0.190 | 0.246 | 6 | 203.328 |
| 4 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 1'17.769 | 0.392 | 0.507 | 6 | 202.800 |
| 5 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 1'18.018 | 0.641 | 0.828 | 6 | 202.153 |
| 6 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine/Renault | 1'18.078 | 0.701 | 0.906 | 6 | 201.998 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1'18.142 | 0.765 | 0.989 | 5 | 201.832 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 1'18.157 | 0.780 | 1.008 | 6 | 201.793 |
| 9 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren/Mercedes | 1'18.379 | 1.002 | 1.295 | 6 | 201.222 |
| 10 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1'18.823 | 1.446 | 1.869 | 5 | 200.088 |
