Twickenham racing driver Mitchell Gilbert may not have got the results to prove it but is finally happy he is getting somewhere this season.

Tyre problems and gearbox failure saw the 20-year-old Australian finish 14th and retire in two GP3 Series races at the Hockenheim Grand Prix on Sunday.

But it was in qualifying where Gilbert – who suffered a serious crash last time out – shone as the ADD Motorsport driver put his Trident single-seater fifth on the grid.

It has been an otherwise miserable year for the youngster in the FIA Formula Three European Championship, which he quit last month for life in GP3.

And Gilbert is confident good times are just around the corner.

“The car was fast enough to win race two, but I had to start from the pit lane and the gear box broke completely near the end, so I was never in it.

“But the pace was there, which is really important.”

“The results may not look great, but as this was my first whole weekend, I was really happy.

“I feel like I’m moving forward again. It’s been a hard year, but this has really given me confidence for the rest of the season.

“Now I know what’s going to happen over the whole race weekend, I feel I can have a really good weekend next weekend.”