earge russell claimed the first pole position of his Formula 1 career ahead of Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old dropped out Ferrari‘s Carlos Sainz with just 0.044 seconds, with Charles Leclerc third.
Russell’s Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh with Max Verstappen 10th on the grid after experiencing mechanical issues.
Sainz and Leclerc looked like they secured a front row lockout for Ferrari, only for Russell to get a shocking result with a brilliant final lap at the Hungaroring.
“Come on, whoooo, come on, yeah you beauty, you beauty,” Russell said over the radio, unable to hide his joy over his first pole and Mercedes’ first of the season.
‘Awesome. We needed that.’
Verstappen stalled in Turn 2 on his first run in Q3, finishing 1.7 seconds behind, then reported he was out of power as he geared up for his final attempt. “Nothing works,” he shouted, unable to improve on his first Q3 attempt.
Mercedes struggled with the pace in practice, but Russell pulled back one of the laps of his career – eight tenths from Hamilton – to take first place for Sunday’s 70-lap race.
“I’m over the moon,” said Russell. “That last lap was mega. I crossed the line and saw P1 and it was an incredible feeling.
“There are no points for qualifying, but we are definitely going for it. It was a special day.”
Lando Norris finished fourth ahead of McLaren, one place ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
On a bad afternoon before Red Bull, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez took aim at Haas driver Kevin Magnussen after finishing 11th.
Perez claimed the Dane disrupted his fastest lap and said over the radio, “F****** Magnussen. Yes, I was blocked there by Magnussen.”
Sebastian Vettel announced that he will take the curtain on his Formula 1 career at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi on November 20.
After winning four consecutive titles for Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, he failed to take the championship in a span of five seasons before joining Aston Martin.
But his one and a half year spell with the British team was disappointing, and there was further misery when he crashed in final practice.
Vettel worked with his mechanics to repair his injured machine in time for qualifying, but the German failed to make it to Q1, qualifying 18th.
Nicholas Latifi was the surprise name at the top during Saturday’s rainy practice, but on dry land the Canadian finished 20th and last.