The Mercedes driver put in a stunning late qualifying lap to take his first F1 pole position, beating Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by 0.044 seconds for first place.
The pole lap seemed to surprise Russell himself after qualifying, as Mercedes’ pace transformed after struggling throughout practice.
With Sainz leading Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc into third, it still offers the Italian manufacturer an opportunity to fight back in the fight for the F1 world title after a nightmare qualifying for Red Bull.
Max Verstappen suffered an engine problem in his last race in Q3, leaving him unable to improve and dropping to 10th place, while teammate Sergio Perez retired in Q2 in 11th place.
Lewis Hamilton also suffered a mechanical problem in Q3 with a DRS failure which ended his final lap prematurely and dropped him to seventh place.
McLaren’s Lando Norris took the opportunity to take fourth ahead of Alpines’ two Esteban Ocon – winner of the Hungarian GP last year – in fifth and Fernando Alonso in sixth.
Joining Hamilton on the fourth row is former Alfa Romeo team-mate Valtteri Bottas, while Daniel Ricciardo finished ninth in the other McLaren ahead of Verstappen.
George Russell, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
When is the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix?
When: Sunday July 31, 2022
Start time: 2:00 p.m. BST, 3:00 p.m. local time
Round 13 of the 2022 F1 season, the Hungarian GP at the Hungaroring, will start at 3:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. BST) on Sunday July 31.
How to watch Formula 1?
In the UK, Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming via NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which shows F1 racing, can be added as part of Sky Sports Channels which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed via NOW with a one-time payment of £11.98 or a monthly subscription of £33.99 per month.
How can I watch the Hungarian F1 GP?
In the UK, Sky Sports will broadcast the Hungarian GP live, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Pre-race coverage will begin on Sky Sports F1 at 12:30 p.m. and Sky Sports Main Event at 1:55 p.m. BST before the race starts at 2:00 p.m. BST.
• Channels: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
• Start time: 12.30pm BST and 1.55pm BST, Sunday July 31, 2022
Autosport will be showing live text coverage of the Hungarian GP here.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
When can I watch Hungarian F1 GP highlights?
In the UK, Channel 4 is showing highlights of the Hungarian GP at 6.30pm BST on Sunday evening. The full program will run for two and a half hours, covering the pre-race, race highlights and initial post-race reaction to wrap up the main talking points from the race weekend.
Throughout the 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will show highlights from every qualifying and race from every event.
Highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on-demand catch-up services.
Channel: Channel 4
Start time: 6.30pm BST, Sunday July 31, 2022
Will the F1 Hungarian GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race of the 2022 F1 season will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and via the BBC Sport website.
Live coverage of the Hungarian GP will begin at 2:00 p.m. BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the Hungarian F1 GP
The current weather forecast calls for cloudy and cool conditions at the Hungaroring in Budapest, with a low chance of rain. The temperature should be 23 degrees Celsius for the start of the race, 10 degrees cooler than the last French GP.
How many laps does the F1 Hungarian GP last?
The race is expected to cover 70 laps at the Hungaroring, covering a total race distance of 306.630 km.
Hungarian F1 GP starting grid