Martin Sonka of the Czech Republic claimed victory as Australian Matt Hall moved to the top of the overall standings ©Red Bull/Twitter

Martin Sonka of the Czech Republic claimed victory as Australian Matt Hall moved to the top of the overall standings at the Red Bull Air Race World Championship event in Budapest.

Sonka, who finished first in qualifying yesterday, clocked a time of 57.502 in a thrilling race in the Hungarian capital.

Frenchman Mika Brageot had set the pace early on by clocking 57.849 but was forced to settle for second place.

Hall stopped the clock at 58.163, 0.661sec off of Sonka's time and also behind Brageot.

But his performance allowed him to take the overall lead as he now has a total of 45 points.

Michael Goulian of France, who was fourth today, trails Hall by two points in second place, while Sonka follows in third on 34 points.

Kazan in Russia is due to host the next leg of the World Championship from August 25 to 26.