Esteban Ocon has revealed that he hopes Interlagos will be hit by a rain shower during the race as he prepares to start from near the back of the grid after being forced into a five place penalty for changing his gearbox.
The Frenchman, who is facing a year out of the sport, was knocked out in Q2 and qualified 13th, which will become 18th after the penalty is taken into account.
Force India have been targeting McLaren’s points tally and sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship, and will need Ocon to fight for every position and point if he can make his way towards the top ten.
After qualifying, Ocon mentioned his desire for rain in the race.
He said: "Ahead of the session, I believed we had the potential to make Q3 but it didn’t work out for us.
“I’ve also got to take the grid penalty [five places] so I will be starting near the back and it’s going to make the race even more difficult.
“Perhaps some rain tomorrow would work in my favour and allow me to catch up and fight for points.”
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