Despite a successful outing in Perth earlier this month, Scott McLaughlin believes he has let a few other opportunities slip during the first four Supercars championship rounds.
The Kiwi blitzed the opposition at the Super Sprint event at Western Australia's Barbagallo Raceway, with two race wins vaulting him up the driver's championship leaderboard in the process.
The DJR-Penske driver sits in fourth place, 31 points behind teammate, and fellow Kiwi, Fabian Coulthard.
The 23-year-old was delighted with his double-win last time out, but ahead of another big race weekend in Winton, McLaughlin said his early season results should have been better.
"Happy with things at the moment, [but] it's been mixed results wise for us, we have had a few opportunities for race wins that we haven't taken but at the end of the day I've settled into the team well," McLaughlin said.
The Kiwi, in his first year with the Ford powered team, finds himself engineered by another Shell Racing newcomer, the highly respected Ludo Lacroix.
The Frenchman left red Bull Racing Australia at the end of the 2016 season after 14 years, which included masterminding a Bathurst win for Craig Lowndes in 2015.
Lacroix's departure was controversial, but McLaughlin said the veteran has brought plenty of experience to the team and is feeding off the knowledge of the French native daily.
"He's been fantastic in teaching me and making me a better driver. I can only learn off a guy like that who has accomplished so much in his life, so hopefully I can learn a few more secrets off him."
The Winton event is a crucial one with a month of testing ahead of the drivers after this weekend.
McLaughlin noted how important it is to be in the Championship hunt before the teams have a chance to iron out any flaws.
"There is a long way lefty to go in the Championship but to be somewhere in the mix after this weekend will be really important."
It's not a track I particularly enjoy but it's one I've gone well on for some reason. I had my first ever pole position there in 2014, so it holds some special memories."
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