Lewis Hamilton's optimism has been renewed by improvements to his Mercedes, as he now believes the team can compete for race wins in 2022.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Hamilton has endured a hugely testing season with the Silver Arrows.
New regulations were always likely to threaten his place at the forefront of the sport, but Mercedes' bouncing car has caused unexpected issues.
Hamilton has not secured a single victory through the first 10 grands prix of the campaign – his worst ever drought from the start of a year.
In fact, neither Hamilton nor new team-mate George Russell have even finished in the top two; not since 2011 have Mercedes waited so long for such a result.
Yet a Silver Arrow has finished third in each of the past three races, including consecutive podiums for Hamilton – his second and third of the season.
The Mercedes superstar was even in position to challenge for the win at Silverstone last time out.
While Hamilton ultimately fell short, the performance of his car encouraged hope for the remainder of the campaign as he bids to record a victory in a 16th straight season, a potential outright record ahead of Michael Schumacher (also 15).
"With a bit more hard work, hopefully we can get closer to having a chance of winning," Hamilton said ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
"I truly believe we can get a race win this year.
"There was a long way back. Earlier this year, I definitely wasn't sure we would ever get a win in this car, but that was not the way we like to think.
"It felt there's a long way to catch everyone up, knowing the progress everyone makes."
Mercedes have five wins at the Austrian GP – one shy of McLaren's record of six – but Max Verstappen and Red Bull have triumphed at three of the past four editions.
Hamilton added: "At Silverstone, there was definitely potential to win the race.
"With our current performance, we are not at the same level as the teams ahead of us – we needed everything to align.
"We have always struggled in Austria, so it is going to be hard to win here knowing the combination of corners – but not impossible.
"The weather is up and down. I am hopeful we will be pleasantly surprised [on Friday], but I might be wrong. I am staying hopeful."
Singapore Grand Prix: Confident Piastri ready to help Norris fight for championship
Oscar Piastri's confidence is high after a win in Baku, but he is willing to do what he can to help Lando Norris win the drivers' championship if called upon.
Piastri beat Charles Leclerc in Azerbaijan last weekend, holding off the Ferrari on a track where they usually dominate, to claim his second win of the season, following up his maiden F1 win in Hungary.
He got a little help from Norris on the track though, as the Brit held off Sergio Perez so that Piastri could emerge from the pits still holding his place.
The Australian remains fourth in the standings himself, now just 32 points behind team-mate Norris, but his victory meant McLaren leapfrogged Red Bull into the lead in the constructors' championship.
Piastri, who has finished on the podium in five of the last seven races, praised the teamwork put in by McLaren so far and is hoping they can continue that going forward.
"It is a nice confidence boost [coming to Singapore]. We should be competitive this weekend," he said.
"It wasn't our most competitive track, there have been races where we have been quicker compared to the competition. So, to win like that where Ferrari were so quick is a confidence boost.
"Lando is still ahead in the championship and, just to be honest, has a more realistic chance to win the drivers' championship.
"But Baku is how we want to go racing as McLaren. We got it across perfectly of our culture and how we want to go racing. I want to win but, naturally, if I can help out Lando's championship bid, I am happy to help."
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, has struggled of late, failing to win any of the last seven F1 races, with his last victory coming in Spain in June.
He still holds a 59-point lead over Norris in the standings, but with just two podiums since his last win, the Dutchman is far from his best.
He acknowledged the other drivers' improvement, especially Piastri, and is hopeful Red Bull can fix some of their issues ahead of a race where they have struggled before.
"Oscar is doing a fantastic job lately and [McLaren] are very strong as a team. So, it is up to us to make it difficult for them. We need to make the car more dependable," he said.
"Our car generally isn't very good on bumps and kerbs, and that is what we have around here, so we need to try and stabilise it.
"I don't know even where to start. I'm confident we can do a better job than last year, but the competition has improved quite a bit."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Lando Norris – McLaren
Norris has proven a consistent challenger to Verstappen so far this season and took the edge once again in Baku by sneaking in front of him at the end of the race.
It marked the second-biggest comeback of his F1 career (11 places, from 15th to 4th), meaning he has now finished ahead of the 26-year-old in each of the last three races.
However, since Verstappen's last win, Norris has only closed the gap by 10 points in the drivers’ championship.
Sergio Perez – Red Bull
Sergio Perez has endured a difficult run, having failed to make the podium since April in China.
It looked like he would end that run in Baku, only for a late tangle with Carlos Sainz to force him to retire from the race.
No driver in this year's championship has not finished a grand prix more often than the Mexican (three, level with Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda), but Red Bull will be hoping he can build on what looked to be a promising race in Singapore.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 313
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 254
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 235
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 222
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 184
Constructors
1. McLaren – 476
2. Red Bull – 456
3. Ferrari – 425
4. Mercedes – 309
5. Aston Martin – 82
Latham and Williamson lead charge as New Zealand close gap on Sri Lanka
Tom Latham and Kane Williamson led the way as New Zealand moved to within just 50 runs of Sri Lanka on day two of the first Test in Galle.
Latham opened with 70 while Williamson notched 55 on the way to taking the Black Caps to 255-4 at stumps.
Sri Lanka resumed the first Test at 302-7, though just 15 minutes of play were possible during a rain-curtailed morning session. Nevertheless, it was long enough for New Zealand to bowl out their opponents for the loss of just three runs.
Latham led the Black Caps' revival with 70 from 111 balls, as Williamson also passed the half-century mark with his knock of 55 off 104 deliveries.
Dhananjaya de Silva looked to restore Sri Lanka's authority over proceedings when he dismissed Williamson and Rachin Ravindra in the space of two overs.
However, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell steadied the ship, with their unbeaten stand of 59 off 105 edging New Zealand closer to their opponents' tally.
Data Debrief: Half-century stands galore for resurgent Black Caps
Partnerships were crucial for New Zealand in their chase, with four 50-plus stands during the innings.
Latham and Devon Conway's opening stand of 63 got the ball rolling, while Latham and Williamson notched 73 from just 120 balls.
The Williamson-Ravindra stand of 51 took just 84 deliveries, and it remains to be seen how long Mitchell and Blundell will last when play resumes on Friday.
Ashwin century leads India revival after difficult start against Bangladesh
Ravichandran Ashwin hit an unbeaten century as India recovered from a slow start on day one of their first Test with Bangladesh.
Ashwin made 102, while Ravindra Jadeja ended 86 not out as the hosts finished the day at 339-6 in Chennai.
It looked set to be a difficult day for India, who were 36-3 inside the opening hour with Virat Kohli (six), Rohit Sharma (six) and Shubman Gil (0) all dismissed.
Rishabh Pant hit 39 while Yashasvi Jaiswal had a knock of 56 to steady the hosts at 144-6, before Ashwin and Jadeja took centre-stage.
Together, they put on 195 from 227 balls in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand to swing the momentum firmly in India's favour, with Ashwin reaching hs ton in just 108 balls.
"On a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you're going after the ball, you might as well go after it really hard," he said.
"It's the old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry, and the red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots.
"If you're willing to just get in line and can give the ball a little bit of tonk, it really helps."
Data Debrief: Ton up for Ashwin as hosts break Mahmud's resolve
It looked like Hasan Mahmud would be the star on day one, with the Bangladesh seamer taking an impressive 4-58.
But Ashwin had other ideas on his home ground, with 10 fours and two sixes on the way to notching his sixth Test century, and second in as many Tests in Chennai.
Jadeja matched him with 10 fours and two sixes of his own, and is just 14 runs off claiming his own ton when play resumes on Friday.
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