Lewis Hamilton believes he has a shot of finally achieving a podium result with Ferrari at the US Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton is due to take the start of the race from fifth on the grid, two positions behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The seven-time champion has endured a challenging first campaign with Ferrari following his switch from Mercedes, and has not achieved top-three success at the end of a grand prix across the 18 events held so far.
Saturday in Austin, Texas, proved to be a more positive day for Hamilton compared to the opening day of action, where he ended sprint qualifying in eighth place.
When asked if he feels his first Ferrari podium is possible in Austin, Hamilton told media including RacingNews365: “It is. I’ve got to get past George [Russell]. That's key.
“They’re fast, as always. He was given Max [Verstappen] pressure [in the sprint race], so they're always around.
“Those guys have had upgrades, so have Red Bull.
“I don't know about McLaren, but I know Mercedes had a recent upgrade, which we haven't.
“For us to be where we are, given that's the case, I'm really grateful. I think the car balance should be better [on Sunday].”
The sprint race on Saturday was disrupted by two safety cars, giving the drivers even less time to discover factors that can be applied for the grand prix.
However, Hamilton asserted he uncovered enough to give him a boost ahead of Sunday's race.
“I definitely learned. I definitely know a bit more about where to put the car,” Hamilton said.
“Overall, I've been pretty happy throughout the weekend.
“Qualifying, I wasn't as strong as I've been all weekend. I just had massive understeer, just having to add too much lock and it killed the tyres.”
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