Spectator mode in a ranked race

I think that happens when you miss either all of qualifying or just the start, either way, you have to click whatever your equivalent of x on xbox is (the button that brings up the options to show minimap, tyre age etc) and go to the top of that menu where it shows all the drivers in the lobby, in that top section you can click along and when you get to a car that says it's an ai, you can click the button it shows to take control