The best wet-weather drives of the last decade
- Darian Crowley
- Nov 5, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 13, 2024
As a follower of F1 for 10 years, Max Verstappen’s 17th to victory drive on Sunday made me reflect on the some of the best drives in the rain during this time.
Max Verstappen - 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
Sunday wasn’t the first time Max proved to be a master in the wet in Brazil. 8 years earlier in his first season at Red Bull, he put on a show. After starting fourth he quickly dispensed of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari and then a stunning move around the outside of Turn 3 of Nico Rosberg.
After chasing Lewis Hamilton for the lead, he produced quite possibly the save of the century in a high speed spin and retained second place. However, a strategic error to move from wets to inters moved him to near the back of grid during a mid-race red flag period.
Source: STRICKS YouTube
However, the Dutchman stormed through the field in the remaining laps. This included passes on teammate Daniel Ricciardo, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and then demoted future teammate Sergio Perez to the take final podium position behind the Mercedes. And of course, fastest lap.
Lewis Hamilton - 2018 German Grand Prix
The weird thing about this drive was it wasn’t overly dramatic given how exciting the race was, but Hamilton showed composure and skill to master the tricky conditions. He started 14th on the grid, after a mechanical problem in qualifying.
2018 was an extreme year for the gaps between smaller and bigger teams. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull were all two seconds a lap faster than other teams. With Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) taking an engine penalty, Hamilton was able to work his way up to fifth relatively easily in the dry conditions. Then the others made mistakes.
Mercedes made right strategy call to pit him later than the others, so he would have fresher tyres when it did rain. As the rain started to fall, it was very tricky. It was wet weather but not wet enough for inters.
Max Verstappen made the error of pitting for inters. The top 3-Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas were on heavily worn tyres. This caused Vettel to crash out and forced the two Finns to pit under a safety car for new tyres.
Source: Andrej Isakovic/Getty Images
Hamilton led the field on the restart and Mercedes orders restricted teammate Bottas from trying to take the lead. This race was a huge turning point in that season’s championship, as it saw Hamilton overtake Vettel in the standings and the Brit never looked back.
Sebastian Vettel & Daniil Kvyat - 2019 German Grand Prix
Daniil Kvyat is not a name you would associate with great F1 drivers. But a more mature torpedo delivered from the lucky 14th grid spot in Germany. He made his way up through the field in the wet, as the Toro Rosso coped well with the conditions.
Then the Russian and his team pitted him earlier than most for dry tyres late on in the race and he moved up the order. Verstappen led, while the Russian was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel near the end, but he hung on for his third and final podium in F1.
It was his best race in the sport and coincided with him becoming a father that week with his then girlfriend Kelly Piquet. Unfortunately for Kvyat, neither his relationship with Toro Rosso or Piquet lasted long term.
Source: Andrej Isakovic/Getty Images
Vettel meanwhile started 20th and last after a mechanical problem in qualifying. He made many positions on the opening laps. What made this drive more impressive wasn’t just the fact that so many top drivers were caught out by the conditions-Hamilton, Bottas and Leclerc, but he also suffered turbo and mechanical problems in the middle of the race.
When conditions dried towards the end of the race, his Ferrari came to life and overtook a host of cars to finish second. 2019 would be the beginning of the end for Vettel and Ferrari, as he was outperformed by Charles Lerclerc, but it was nice to see the four-time champion deliver a drive in what currently is the last German Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen - 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix
Just like Hamilton in Germany 2018, this drive has drastically changed the championship picture and pretty much sealed Max Verstappen’s fourth world title over Lando Norris.
After a nightmare qualifying and 5-place grid penalty, Verstappen made the perfect start making several places on the opening lap, showcasing his wet-weather skills. He then started picking off cars such as Lewis Hamilton and Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri. He moved up to sixth and made sure to look after his inters.
When the rainfall got heavier others felt the need for new inters, Verstappen stayed out. This paid off when a red flag was brought out for the heavy rain and Franco Colapinto’s crash.
Source: Kym Illman/Getty Images
Verstappen was second behind Esteban Ocon, before making an overtake for the lead on one of the safety car restarts. Then he totally blitzed the field in terms of pace. He set 17 fastest laps and by the end of the race, the ten fastest laps of the race were all set by Max. Lando Norris has had a great year, but he’s not on the same level of Max…yet.
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