Hamilton believes third place was possible in Mexico qualifying

Lewis Hamilton said third place on the Mexican Grand Prix grid was achievable after having to settle for fourth.

The championship leader must finish third if he is to stand any chance of winning his sixth world title in Mexico.

Those odds were perhaps boosted by Valtteri Bottas, his team-mate and only remaining challenger, suffering a big crash at the end of qualifying which could necessitate repairs that would trigger grid penalties from sixth.

Bottas' crash also brought out double flags, which meant Hamilton could not improve on his last lap, and perhaps costing him an extra spot on the grid.

"I think third place was possible, but in that last sector it all went to pot," he told Sky Sports.

"I'm generally happy with today. It was just hard to keep up with the others. We knew it would be difficult this weekend coming here, but I gave it everything.

"It wasn't enough for pole, but I think I got everything that I could out of the car and it puts us in a fighting position tomorrow so I hope I can get a good start."

Looking ahead to the race, Hamilton added: "The Red Bull is quite quick on their long runs so it will be interesting to see who's tyres can last longer.

"That's going to be the name of the game – looking after the tyres for the distance and holding on to them, the top players, the Ferraris and the Red Bulls, but I'm looking forward to that fight."

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