Hamilton feels he could have secured pole in Austin thanks to "successful upgrade package"

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton feels that he could have fought for the pole position, but a yellow flag meant that he got unlucky on his final push lap.

Lewis Hamilton looked uncomfortable in his heavily-upgraded W15 in the sole practice session in Austin. However, come sprint qualifying, the seven-time world champion suddenly appeared to be in contention for top places.

Although he questioned his team's choice to head out early for his last flying lap, he set a brilliant time in the opening sector only to lose out with a yellow-flag situation brought out by Williams driver Franco Colapinto.

Reflecting on his qualifying session, Hamilton said: "That was a real shame today as I got unlucky with a yellow flag. I was four tenths up on my lap and looking good for P1, but it is what it is. The good thing is that we seem to have made a step forward with the car.

"The update we have brought here was working well and I am really grateful to everyone back at the factory for their hard work. The last few races haven’t been straightforward, but everyone has done a great job to bring this upgrade.

"We also did some strong work after FP1 to improve the car for Sprint Qualifying. Sprint weekends add an extra level of jeopardy with a second parc fermé, but as soon as we took to the track, I knew we had made some good choices. Despite our disappointment today, we have another go at it tomorrow and we will be giving it our best."

His team-mate George Russell looked less comfortable than Hamilton through the day, but he suddenly found a big improvement on the soft tyres which allowed him to take second on the grid for today's sprint race.

"I’m really happy with how today went. It has been a while since we qualified on the front-row so we can be pleased with the progress we have made. The update kit we brought here seems to be working well although it has surprised us a little how competitive we were today.

"Sprint Qualifying was a tricky session, but I was able to put my lap in SQ3 together. The final sector in particular was strong and that is what enabled us to take P2.

"Lewis was very quick today, and he was unlucky to be caught out by a yellow flag. We both should have been up there but it’s great that, as a team, we were back in the mix today. It is also clearly very close with several other outfits including Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. Hopefully we can continue this form into the weekend and look forward to fighting at the front," Russell concluded.

Speaking of the Brackley-based outfit's Friday in Austin, Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has sounded a positive note, claiming that the upgrade kit the team brought to Texas worked as expected.

"We can take many positives but ultimately, we end the day slightly frustrated. Lewis was on for a lap that would have been more than enough for P1. We had opted to go on the early side to avoid any interruptions with yellows on a busy track at the end of the session.

"Unfortunately, and ironically, Lewis caught a yellow flag following a spin for the Williams of Colapinto at turn 12. That put paid to his challenge for the front-row and he will line up P7.

"George wasn’t as comfortable with the car today as Lewis but it’s a clear sign of progress that he was still able to take P2. We have brought an update kit this weekend and its introduction has been straightforward. It is of course only one day of running but it does look like we are seeing the gains we hoped for. We will look to continue that momentum into the rest of the weekend."