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It has been more than a year, and a run of 22 races, since
the 24-year-old Brasilia-born driver secured struggling Sauber's
last points with ninth place at the 2015 U.S. Grand Prix.
With financial difficulties leading to a lack of pre-season
testing and car development, 2016 has been one big blank for
Nasr and Swedish team mate Marcus Ericsson.
Sauber, who have been in Formula One since 1993, have been last
in the constructors' standings since Germany's Pascal Wehrlein
finished 10th in Austria in July but Interlagos could change
that.
"In terms of getting a point, in Sao Paulo as we know there is
always a question mark on the weather, it can be anything –
sunny or rainy on the same day," Nasr told Reuters in a
telephone interview from Miami.
"And this could play into our hands, in terms of having tricky
conditions out there or if the track is wet or dry enough.
"I would expect something like this that would help us score
points because in normal conditions, on pure performance, we
don’t have the car to achieve a top 10 finish.
"We need this combination and lets count on home soil too to
bring us luck. It’s better to be positive than not," he added.
Next week will be Nasr's second home race, after a promising
debut season in 2015, and this time he heads for Brazil with
time pressing literally and figuratively.
Busy promoting a limited edition Felipe Nasr watch, made by
Miami-based apparel and design brand Felio Siby and with an
eye-popping price tag of $135,000, he is also assessing his
options and waiting for a deal to come together.
FLIP SIDE
With compatriot Felipe Massa retiring, Nasr stands to be South
America's sole F1 driver next season.
Commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone is keen on ensuring he
stays but where remains to be seen, with speculation linking him
to vacant seats at Force India and Renault -- for whom Brazil is
an important market -- as well as Sauber.
"There is nothing 100 percent yet but I am pretty confident we
are going to be there (in Formula One) next year," said Nasr.
His watch sponsor, founded by Gabon-born Dominique Siby, is also
Force India's official lifestyle partner but the driver ruled
out any significance of that deal in relation to his future.
"Everybody wants to know where (I'll be). Even me, I don’t know
where yet. But hopefully soon we are going to know," he added.
Sauber will have 2016 specification Ferrari engines next year,
which will put them at a power disadvantage but save money, and
Nasr supported that step because more could be spent on
improving the chassis.
"There are better possibilities for results in other places, but
Sauber -- knowing the team and I’ve been there for two years now
so you build a relationship -- it’s much easier to know how to
work with them," he said.
On the downside, it would take time to get back up to speed.
"As a driver you’re always thinking about how can I get the best
results for myself. There’s many other things that come
together, being at the right place at the right time, so we are
working on it," he said.
"In that first year I was able to show what I came for. This
year since has been a little bit more difficult ... I saw the
two sides of the coin, put it that way."
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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