'I wasn't good enough' says Lewis Hamilton after Baku F1 crash

The reigning world champion will start 10th, with title rival and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg on pole, after he clipped the inside wall at Turn 12 on his second Q3 run, breaking the front suspension.

The crash followed a series of mistakes throughout the qualifying hour, one of which included damaging the set of tyres he will have to start Sunday's race on unless the FIA rules he can change on safety grounds.

"It was nothing to do with anyone else, it was just me not doing good enough," he said.

"I was four tenths up on both laps, so there's no question over whether I was quicker.

"The corner before was fine, I just turned in too early.

"It was a very sensible little tap but it was enough to stop the lap."

Hamilton had topped the times in all three practice sessions but made set-up changes before qualifying that he admitted he failed to adapt to sufficiently.

"The car was a bit different on Friday and it was better on the brakes," he said.

"We made some changes and it was not as good on Saturday.

"I wasn't able to brake in the same places as Friday and I didn't adjust to that and made a few mistakes.

"The car didn't feel the same as Friday... but still good enough for pole.

"It wasn't the car, I just couldn't get into a rhythm today.

"It wasn't just in qualifying, it was in practice too."

Despite the disappointing session, Hamilton tried to remain positive.

"Every Sunday is different," said Hamilton. "In the last race, I didn't feel good before the race, but I drove fantastic.

"Sometimes you feel good and do bad, and vice versa. I have no idea how I will feel, but the best thing I can do is look forward.

"There's a new opportunity tomorrow, we've got a good car with good pace so provided we can not get caught up in anyone else's mistakes or make mistakes myself then we should be able to get some good points tomorrow.

"It's not impossible to win still from where I am."