Heikki Kovalainen was desperately disappointed to miss out on a shot at a front row start for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - but has vowed to salvage everything he can from the race.
The Finn had been quickest on Friday and looked set to follow team-mate Lewis Hamilton - who eventually took a commanding pole - to the front of the field.
But a gearbox problem stopped him when he was third quickest in Q2, and as others improved he was pushed right back to 13th.
"What a disappointing outcome to my qualifying,” said Kovalainen.
“I got stuck in second gear during Q2 and that was it.
"I already had minor problems with the gearbox yesterday when it jumped out of gear, so it’s frustrating when you have a car you can easily take into Q3."
He is confident that with McLaren so competitive this weekend, he still has a great chance to surge forward in the race.
“I’m looking at the positives," he said.
"The balance of my car has been good throughout the entire weekend, and it’s been great to drive on this fantastic circuit.
“You can absolutely guarantee I’ll be giving it my all in the race tomorrow and I’ll be fighting from the first lap to the very last.”
Tomorrow's race is set to be Kovalainen's last at McLaren, with Kimi Raikkonen among those being lined up to replace him, although the team has yet to confirm its plans.