SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JULY 08: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 leaves the garage during qualifying for the Formula One Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 8, 2017 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton knew he would have a bit of a mountain to climb with the grid penalty for a gearbox change here in Austria this weekend, but that didn't stop the British champion from doing his best in Saturday afternoon's all important qualifying hour.

His pace in Q2 on the super soft tyre proved that he is in good shape for Sunday afternoon's race - but unfortunately he lost some time in Turn 1 on his final lap and that meant he finished the qualifying session down in P3, but due to his penalty will start the race from P8.

However, he will start the race on the super soft tyre, so he has options open for him in the race and hopefully he will be able to come through the field and secure a good points finish.

“It's been a frustrating day for me. I had a chance to be fastest today and I didn't quite put it all together on that final lap in Q3. I'm disappointed with my performance in Q3: it would have been great to do a better lap but it obviously wasn't meant to be,” he said.

“Valtteri did a fantastic job though to take pole. The gearbox issue hasn't played on my mind during the weekend but after qualifying you realise you're starting further back. I think it will be tough to make progress tomorrow.”

“The pack is a lot closer than in 2014 when I fought up to P2. But perhaps the weather can come into play. I'll work as hard as I can to recover and try get as many points as possible. We still have great pace and the car has been fantastic here, so I know I've got the car to do the job. Let's see how it all plays out tomorrow.”