Robert Kubica warned Formula 1's frontrunners that his revamped Renault could prove a threat in changeable conditions at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old Pole, whose team are using an F-duct aerodynamic device for the first time, qualified third at Spa.
"Anything can happen. We have seen different weather but in all sessions we have been top five," he said.
"It is good for us to be back amongst the top three after introducing F-duct late and it is working perfectly now.Kubica's performance almost matched his best qualifying result of the season - a second place at Monaco in May.
He was sitting alongside pole-holder Mark Webber for Red Bull before McLaren's Lewis Hamilton produced a sparkling last-gasp lap to relegate him to the second row of the grid.
"We were just praying for rain, but it was not enough to stop Lewis putting in a faster lap," said Kubica, who clocked 1 minute 46.100 secs, 0.322 slower than Webber and 0.237 slower than Hamilton.
I think Red Bull is out of reach and McLaren is very fast but we will try our best and see.Renault have focused their development work this season on a blown floor, part of the system for dispersing exhaust gases in an aerodynamically efficient way, a decision that delayed their introduction of an F-duct until after the mid-season break.
The device appears to have been worth the wait, however, with the benefits projected in the factory being realised in practice.
And the update may prove timely for Kubica who picked up 59 points in the first six races of the season, but only 30 in the second half dozen.
He acknowledged that good fortune contributed to his third place on the grid as rain hampered his rivals' attempts to improve on their opening laps in the final session.
Kubica was himself confined to the pit lane after just one lap of the final session by a fuel pick-up problem.
"The car just shut down in turn 17. Time was too tight to turn the car around but fortunately they were a few drops of rain for us," he added.
