Fernando Alonso thinks McLaren could qualify anywhere between seventh and 14th in Singapore after finishing within a second of the Daniil Kvyat's headline time in FP2.
McLaren arrived in Singapore hoping the twisty confines of the Marina Bay circuit would mask the Honda power deficiencies which were brutally exposed in Belgium and Italy. Alonso gave the team reason to be optimistic during the evening practice session when he finished eighth, two tenths behind Nico Rosberg's Mercedes, on the super-soft tyre.
Alonso is expecting the battle for the slots behind the front three rows to be incredibly tight.
Asked if the FP2 times were representative, Alonso replied: "Yeah, I think so. I think we should be not too far from that position. The first three teams are quite fast - Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes - and after that there is a group of cars, we are on those.
"From seventh to 14th will be three of four tenths tomorrow so we could be one of the first or one of the last, it depends how we prepare qualifying, how we put together the lap and the set-up of the car. We are working on that and trying to be the first of those positions."
Though Q3 appearances have been hard to come by in 2015, Alonso does not think McLaren should lose sight of the bigger picture this weekend as it looks to come away with its first points since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
"It's going to be tight between some of the cars and we will have the chance to be in Q3, I want to think that is probable. If not we save some tyres for the race - the important thing is to get some points on Sunday and I think we are in a position to do so."
Alonso thinks the improvement from McLaren proves what the team has been saying about the Singapore circuit playing into the hands of the team's MP4-30 chassis.
"I think it is just the circuit, at the moment. It's very different to Monza and Spa. Monza, we cannot forget, there were six corners and 6km of straights, here there are 23 corners and not many straights - so for our characteristics at the moment and our deficit on power, Singapore is one of the more favourable circuits for this car. We have to now deliver and take this opportunity."