Lewis Hamilton dubbed his qualifying session in Texas a ‘nightmare’ after being knocked out in the first stage.

It came after an impressive showing during Friday’s sprint qualifying.

But Hamilton was unable to replicate his performance with the seven-time world champion starting on the back row in 19th.

Speaking after the session, Hamilton told Sky Sports: “In the Sprint we had some sort of failure from the formation lap on the front suspension.

“I had that throughout the Sprint race. That made the balance really difficult.

“We changed a couple of things which pushed us in the direction in what we would have done yesterday. The car was a nightmare in qualifying.

“I should probably start in the pit lane, otherwise I won’t be going anywhere from where I am.”