Sauber pins hopes on rain after difficult qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix

Kamui Kobayashi qualified in 16th position, with team-mate Sergio Perez one place down. Crucially, both men will start from behind Toro Rosso drivers Jamie Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi.

The Swiss squad is fighting to retain seventh place in the standings, and is just one point clear of its rivals.

Dall'Ara conceded the result was not what the team wanted, but is hopeful the rain will help the Hinwil squad.

"This is obviously not the result we wanted, but it looks as if this was the limit today," said Dall'Ara. "In the end, both our drivers were at the same level.

"We had a trouble-free session, but the performance just didn't allow us to finish higher up on the grid. For tomorrow there is a high chance of rain, and we will definitely be ready to make up ground in the race."

Perez also said it was disappointing to finish behind the Toro Rossos after a tough day.

"It was a disappointing qualifying with the outcome that the Toro Rosso cars, our direct competitors, are in front of us," he said.

"The main problem for me was that the car was so inconsistent: every lap was different, and I couldn't get temperature into the tyres. However, we will not give up. If we get mixed weather conditions tomorrow, anything can happen."