Vettel "pleased to be back in range" after missing pole by 6 hundredths

Despite missing out on pole position, Sebastian Vettel was still happy as his Ferrari was finally "back in range" to catch the Mercedes cars, as Lewis Hamilton beat the German by just six-hundredths of a second.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway, as Vettel will take a three-take grid penalty for his actions during FP1 on Friday. Still, beating Hamilton would've felt good for Vettel, who hasn't taken a pole position in seven races' time. Even his teammate Kimi Raikkonen has taken a pole more recently, as he did it at Ferrari's home Grand Prix in Italy.

Speaking to Martin Brundle, the F1's on-grid reporter on the day, Vettel was disappointed but saw some positives at the same time.

"It was pretty close," the four-time champion said.

With him having to make up four places, it looks very likely that Hamilton can close out the drivers' championship in Sunday's race in Austin, as the Brit will only need to finish two places ahead of Vettel to secure the title.