Michael Dunlop cut a frustrated figure despite recording his 30th Isle of Man TT podium on Saturday afternoon.
Dunlop finished third in the opening RST Superbike race behind commanding winner Peter Hickman and runner-up Dean Harrison.
Hickman finished 39.199 seconds ahead of Harrison on the impressive Gas Monkey Garage by FHO Racing BMW to claim his sixth TT victory, with Dunlop a further 18.427 seconds adrift in third on the Hawk Racing GSX-R1000R Suzuki.
Read more: Isle of Man TT LIVE updates from Saturday's racing on the Mountain course
Dunlop admitted an inconsistent week of practice and qualifying left him "on the back foot" in Saturday's opening Superbike race.
"We have just struggled all week," he told the Isle of Man TT's official coverage.
"Obviously we have been trying to find a base which we just haven't found. We have tried everything physically possibly and it just hasn't worked.
"And I can ride a bit harder, too, probably.
"But we were just too late out of the crate, trying to get the bike going. Fair play to Steve (Hicken) and the boys at Hawk Racing, the bike has been fantastic and thanks to them for coming on board for the TT.
"It has been hard work but that's just the way it goes."
Dunlop will look to make improvements on the bike ahead of next Friday's feature Senior TT event.
But he accepts he has a challenge on his hands trying to usurp British Superbike pair Hickman and Harrison.
"We haven't been able to double up laps unfortunately. We have been doing laps, coming in, changing stuff and going out again. And it has been very inconsistent for us," Dunlop added.
"And when you're up against two lads like Peter and Dean. Peter is riding fast, obviously Peter has been firing on too. And they are out on their bikes every weekend, too.
"We were on the back foot, and I could have done with riding a bit harder myself, that would have helped things."
Meanwhile, Glenn Irwin impressed on his Isle of Man TT debut by finishing eighth in Saturday's Superbike event.
Irwin also became the TT's fastest-ever newcomer with a lap speed of 129.84mph.
Read more: Isle of Man TT television and live stream info for 2022
Read more: Glenn Irwin on the North West 200 icons he looked up to
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
