A P5 qualifying result for Lewis Hamilton is a rare occurrence, but the Mercedes driver knew he would be in for a hard time at the outset.
Hamilton ended the crucial evening 0.635s off of poleman and title rival Sebastian Vettel, but the current leader of the world championship was adamant that he had given it his all.
"Every year it's been generally difficult for us here but we knew today would be tough," he conceded.
"I definitely didn't anticipate Ferrari to be as strong as they were, I thought Red Bull would be as quick as they were. But we still remain hopeful."
Hamilton insisted that he took his car by the skin of its neck to achieve his fifth fastest time. And lining up on the third row of the grid leaves him with a challenge tomorrow on the Marina Bay circuit.
"I got everything I could out of the car, I gave it everything. Everything and more," he added.
"This is a tough track for overtaking. It's usually just a long long train. I think it's going to be very difficult. Start opportunities, strategy opportunities, safety cars, who knows...
"I think tomorrow we'll just have to play the long game. It's a marathon, not a sprint so I'll try to take that method into tomorrow."
Asked whether Mercedes was at its worst in Singapore and if it would return to the front at the upcoming venues, Hamilton said he wasn't sure.
"I don't know where Ferrari have picked up there pace, it's strange," he admitted.
"From race to race, it's a little bit different between us, but I hope we'll be strong in the races coming up."
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