Oscar Piastri gave it his best shot in Saturday's Sprint race in Spa, but the McLaren rookie conceded that he was "no match" for the unrivalled Max Verstappen.
F1's Belgian GP sprint kicked off after a significant delay to allow for track conditions to improve, but when they did race control opted for a launch behind the Safety Car after four exploratory laps.
After the latter peeled off, half the field, including Piastri, immediately headed into the pits for a swap from Wets to Inters.
However, caution prevailed for a group of ten cars led by Verstappen who chose to complete a racing lap before making the switch in a bid to avoid a potential fallout from pitlane congestion.
The Red Bull driver emerged in second position just 1.7 seconds behind Piastri when an off by Fernando Alonso at Pouhon triggered a Safety Car.
On the restart, the McLaren driver survived hoped to fend off the Red Bull for as long as possible but he was dispatched in short order by his rival after Raidillon on the run up the Kemmel straight.
"We tried our best. We boxed when the safety car came in. We led a few laps. But we were no match for Max," acknowledged Piastri.
"I thought the safety car was going to be in my favour, as it meant less laps to try and hold him behind.
"I looked out of Turn 1 and I feel like I got a decent restart. I looked at the top of Eau Rouge and he was basically on top of me already. I couldn't keep him behind on the straight."
It was nevertheless a brilliant display by the talented Aussie, who was warmly cheered by the congregation of fans in the grandstands upon his return to the pitlane.
For the 22-year-old Aussie, leading his first laps in F1 was a moment he'll always remember.
"Clearly, we have a little bit more work to do. But I'm very happy to get the good points…" he added as he praised McLaren's progress of late.
"I think apart from Max, our pace was really strong. So, full credit to the team again.
"The last three weekends we've had, it's been pretty special compared to where we have been, so I can't thank them enough for the car.
"We've still got a little bit of work to do clearly to get right to the top. But it's a lot nicer to be up there and to lead my first laps was a day I won't forget."
Piastri admitted that McLaren's progress of late is facilitating his own development.
"I feel like it’s going well, I wouldn’t say it’s particularly linear in my development," he explained.
"I feel like Silverstone was the best weekend so far. I think Budapest, there were still a few things that I probably needed to learn and work on. I think here’s been obviously quite strong today, and yesterday, maybe there was a bit left on the table.
"It’s not always linear, I think in the conditions we’ve had this weekend, it’s so easy to want more and more and then you find yourself in the wall. So I’ve got to keep my expectations in check.
"I feel like in a general trend, it’s going in the right direction. I’m getting more and more comfortable with the car, because the car is much, much better now than it was at the start of the year which of course helps with the feeling of the car, but also knowing if you do a good job, you can fight for the top three, it helps.
"I feel like it’s in the right direction. There’ll be ups and downs for sure, but hopefully it’s more ups."
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