Former Formula 2 racer Hughes moved to Formula E this year with McLaren, having previously acted as a reserve driver for the British-based team in 2021-22 when it was owned and operated by Mercedes.
He made an immediate impression in the championship by qualifying third on his debut in Mexico City and finishing fifth in the race, with his stock rising further when he took pole in only his third attempt in Diriyah.
Hughes added a second pole position to his tally at Monaco last month and his consistent run of top 10 finishes in races has placed him a strong ninth in the championship heading to Jakarta, one place and five points ahead of team-mate Rene Rast.
With McLaren working on software updates with powertrain supplier Nissan to address the team’s relative lack of performance in race trim compared to one-lap pace, Hughes said he is now confident he will be able to convert his strong qualifying performances into top-notch race results soon.
Asked how far he is from a first podium in Formula E, Hughes told Autosport: “Not too far. I think.
“I don't think it is untoward to say that we look to be stronger in qualifying than we are in the race. We think we know why or we do know why.
“Then it's a question of whether we can fix that and we hope that it arrives soon in terms of upgrades from the software point of view. They will be arriving and until then it's about maximising what we think we have, and executing very well, which is what we have been doing so far.
Source: Autosport