Hamilton takes pole position at Hungarian GP, 1st since 2021

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position Saturday for the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly beating out Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the top position in Sunday's race.

It was the 104th pole position of Hamilton's illustrious career and his first since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.

Hamilton squeaked by Verstappen with an outstanding final lap to take pole position ahead of the drivers' standings leader. McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed directly behind Verstappen.

"I feel so grateful to be up here. The team have been working so hard," an exhausted Hamilton said after a qualifying session that saw him emotional in his car.

It was a bittersweet qualifying session for Mercedes, with Hamilton claiming the top spot while teammate George Russell couldn't get out of Q1.

Russell was visibly upset about his placing after being sent into heavy traffic during a push lap. Russell said during his post-qualifying interview that his car was quick enough to be in Q3, but mistakes cost him and his team.

"If you don't get things right, you get punished," said Russell, who earned the first pole position of his career at last year's Hungarian GP.

Daniel Ricciardo made a statement in his first qualifying session since returning to the grid after half a year on the sidelines, outqualifying AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Ricciardo starts Sunday's race in 13th position.

Alfa Romeo had a terrific afternoon, with Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas qualifying fifth and seventh, respectively. Alfa Romeo is attempting to pass Williams and Haas in the constructors' standings and enters Sunday's race two points behind both.