Can Hamilton win after Verstappen mistake: 'Hopefully an exciting battle'

For almost two years, Hamilton has been dry. At the Circuit of the Americas, an opportunity to put an end to that suddenly glows. Especially now that his Mercedes seems to actually benefit from some drastic updates, such as a modified floor. So a win? "Too early to say, none of us have done any long-running, so I have no idea," Hamilton said.

'Mercedes improved in all areas'

Still, the Briton also admitted that the stars suddenly look favourable: "Maybe with the Red Bull out of the, you know, not in the top three, maybe that makes it a better, closer battle maybe because they're often quite a bit ahead and just disappear into the distance. So hopefully the three of us (polesitter Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Hamilton, ed.) can have a tight battle."

So Hamilton is waiting to see how his improved Mercedes will do over a longer distance. On Saturday, the Briton will already get an idea, when the sprint race is scheduled. At least after qualifying, the feeling was good. "I mean the car feels almost the same, it's just levelled up in pretty much everywhere," Hamilton said.