Lewis Hamilton thinks the long run down to Turn 1 makes second on the grid better than pole position for tomorrow's Mexican Grand Prix.
Hamilton was pipped to pole position by Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg but has the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has a long pit straight similar to Russia's Sochi circuit. The world champion has successfully passed Rosberg at the first corner of two of the last three races and sounds confident of doing so again this weekend.
"It's actually the best spot to start, second or third, because there's a long way down to Turn 1 like Russia -- I think it's longer than Russia," Hamilton said. "I'm happy with my spot. The races have always proved to be quite good ones for me so I'm excited for tomorrow."
Though briefly holding provisional pole in Q3 before Rosberg's second lap on the soft tyre -- which Hamilton could not match with his own second attempt -- he admits his team-mate did a better job on the day and suggests his set-up is more geared towards the grand prix.
"This weekend Nico's been quick, chipping away at it. There have been a couple of moments where the car has seemed pretty spectacular, but otherwise generally some areas I could improve both in my driving but also in the set-up. We have quite a different set-up this weekend so perhaps the avenue I went won't be the perfect one for the race but will be good for the race."