George Russell hopes the likelihood of mistakes in the early races may offer Williams a chance to score points.
After securing the unofficial Virtual GP championship ahead of the final race this weekend in Canada, the reality of racing at the back of the grid will hit the Briton when the new Formula 1 season commences in Austria next month.
But though Russell does concede that is likely where Williams will be on pure pace, he does see the potential to achieve what would be his first top 10 in F1.
“A lot of people will make mistakes, the drivers, the mechanics, the engineers,” he told German broadcaster RTL.
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“Being realistic, I can’t sit here and say we are going out and score points every race because we were so far behind as a team last year.
“But we made big steps in winter testing, whether that is enough I am not too sure.”
Russell is no doubt desperate to show what he can do in a more competitive car, particularly as he eyes potentially replacing Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes for 2021.
But the 22-year-old also admits personnel progression is also important.
“From my side, all I can do is give my maximum," he said. "I learned so much last year. Every single race I was learning.
“I set myself very small targets, how I want to improve with my driving, to make me a more complete driver.”
