Everybody loves a good rain shower when the Formula 1 comes to town. Not only does it make the achievements of each driver all the more impressive, it also can give us results against the script, with smaller teams sometimes triumphing in the face of adversity. With the high possibility of rain affecting proceedings this weekend, we thought it only appropriate that we should take a look at our our top ten favourite wet races, which includes a strong mix of surprise results and general chaos.
#10 – 2008 Italian Grand Prix
When Vettel was the underdog
Rain is uncommon at Monza. The 2008 offering of the Italian Grand Prix saw enough rain to make up for decades of dry races. As one might expect, rain at the mecca of speed makes for some unexpected results. A wet qualifying saw Sebastian Vettel take pole. While that’s a familiar statement to us today, in 2008, that meant a 21 year old had taken pole in a Toro Rosso, in Italy, making him the youngest polesitter in F1 history (a record which he still holds).
Vettel would surely have no chance in the race, except that most of the championship contenders started the race down the order because of strategy errors in qualifying. Nevertheless, Heikki Kovalainen, in his superior McLaren starting from second would surely overtake the lowly Toro Rosso during the race and march to victory. Except that he didn’t.
The race started in blinding rain where Vettel pulled out to a comfortable lead over Kovalainen. As the rain stopped and the track began to dry, everyone assumed the faster cars would finally overtake Vettel in his Toro Rosso. Except, again, they didn’t. Instead, Vettel claimed victory for the Red Bull junior team from pole, in their home country, making him the youngest race winner in F1 history (another record which he still holds) outrunning the bigger teams in all conditions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b6RneEgeJk
#9 – 1999 European Grand Prix
If anyone bet on that podium…
Racing can be a cruel sport, spawning drivers to contemplate “what-if” scenarios the rest of their careers. The 1999 outing at the Nurburgring provided enough heartache that likely half the field still contemplate what might have been. Heinz-Herald Frentzen was having a storybook year for Jordan. The plucky midfield team now had three wins under their belt, and Frentzen was legitimately in the championship hunt, only 10 points behind Mika Hakkinen. Frentzen continued the fairy tale season by taking pole and leading the race from the start in changeable conditions.
Up to the halfway point, Frentzen continued to lead as both championship rivals Eddie Irvine and Hakkinen struggled. At this point, Frentzen would have been tied with Irvine and Hakkinen for the championship lead. Following his next pit stop however, Frentzen’s plucky Jordan crawled to a stop with an electrical problem, ending his race, his championship run, and potentially setting his career on a very different path.
Frentzen, unfortunately, would not be the last to experience extreme heartache in this race. David Coulthard inherited the lead next but spun off, also ending his championship hopes. This handed the lead to Giancarlo Fisichella, putting him in position to score his first career victory, until he also spun off. Next in line was Ralf Schumacher, also in position to claim his maiden F1 victory, until he suffered a tire puncture. Johnny Herbert then took the lead, until, well, until he won the race, giving Jackie Stewart his first and only victory as a team owner. It only got better for the Scottish team, as Rubens Barrichello made it a double podium in third, with the Prost of Jarno Trulli splitting the pair.
#8 – 1984 Monaco Grand Prix
The arrival of Ayrton Senna
The early 80s represented a changing of the guard in F1. The names that had dominated the sport in the 70s began to enter the twilight of their careers, leaving fans to wonder if new heroes would emerge. In one race, the stage was set to introduce the world to the battle that would dominate the sport for the next decade: Ayrton Senna vs. Alain Prost.
Alain Prost was already a race-winner and championship contender driving for McLaren. Aryton Senna was an unknown rookie driving for the backmarker team Toleman (who still exist today, after becoming Benetton, then Renault, and today Lotus). Prost led the race during the torrential rain with Senna making his way through the field from his 13th starting position. Slicing his way through the field, Senna made it all the way to second and began closing on Prost at a rapid pace.
On lap 29, Prost began waving from his car, indicating he felt it was unsafe to continue the race. Many question Prost’s motives as he was experiencing brake problems in addition to Senna’s rapid closing of the gap. Nevertheless, the race was stopped at the end of lap 32, despite the fact the rain was not as heavy as it had been earlier. Before the end of the 32nd lap, Senna had passed Prost and reached the start/finish line first. The rules stated, however, that the positions should revert to the last lap completed by every driver, meaning Senna’s pass on Prost did not count. Prost had won the race, but Senna had won the imaginations of F1 fans. It seems only fitting that the first duel between Senna and Prost ended in controversy, on and off the track.
#7 – 1998 Belgian Grand Prix
Total carnage
Carnage is rarely a word used to describe a Formula 1 race, but as we all know, Spa seems to bring out those rare moments. The 1998 race started in the rain and was wet the entire time, even for Spa standards. To no one’s surprise, the first turn of the Grand Prix was incident filled. David Coulthard’s slight error resulted in the destruction of 13 cars, over half of the field.
The race was restarted with some drivers able to use the third cars, allowed under the rules at the time. The second start saw slightly less carnage with Mike Hakkinen being knocked out the race with David Coulthard dropping to the back from more contact. With the two McLarens out of the way, Michael Schumacher stormed to a massive lead, until he encountered Coulthard’s stricken McLaren at the back of the field. Depending on who you ask, Coulthard did a poor job of getting out of Schumacher’s way, or he was trying to kill him, no awards given to sorting out who said what. Short story is, Schumacher slammed into the rear of Coulthard’s McLaren, ending Schumacher’s race. Coulthard, on the other hand, was able to continue, just in case he needed to hit someone else.
This carnage left Damon Hill to take Eddie Jordan’s first victory as a car owner, in one of the great underdog moments of F1 history, even if his teammate Ralf Schumacher bickered the entire rest of the race at not being allowed to race Damon for the victory, at the risk of giving up a 1-2 finish for Jordan.
#6 – 1982 Monaco Grand Prix
Does anyone want to win?
The Grand Prix in Monaco is the most prestigious race on the Formula 1 calendar, even today. Yet, in 1982, it appeared no one could be bothered to win this crown jewel of the sport. Aside from a spin on lap 14 from then-leader Rene Arnoux, the first 67 laps were rather uneventful.
Alain Prost, with less than 10 laps to go, looked well on his way to victory. But then, the rain came. With only two laps to go, and second place Riccardo Patrese charging, Prost spun into the barriers. Patrese inherited the lead and promptly spun, stalling his car allowing Didier Pironi to take the lead. Pironi’s Ferrari apparently wanted to have nothing to do with winning this grand prix, stranding Pironi in the famous tunnel, out of fuel. Andrea de Cesaris would have inherited the lead, but his Alfa Romeo also wanted no part of this nonsense and ran out of fuel before he could even overtake the stopped Ferrari. Derek Daly’s Williams would have been next in line, but his car was missing both its wings and had a damaged gearbox, preventing him from even starting the last lap.
At this point, BBC commentator and 1976 F1 champion James Hunt noted, “Well we’ve got this ridiculous situation where we’re all sitting by the start-finish line waiting for a winner to come past and we don’t seem to be getting one!” Finally, Patrese managed to get his Brabham running, powering him to victory, where he was the only car classified as running at the end of the race.
#5 – 2008 Belgian Grand Prix
Lewis, Kimi, Felipe and the Stewards
This race was mostly dry, but when the rain came tumbling down a handful of laps away from the finish, all sense of logic and predictability was thrown out of the window. The race started off wet with a drying line, which saw a number of cars struggle for grip off the line and allowed Lewis Hamilton to build up a solid gap from pole position. However, a spin for the Englishman at La Source on the second lap handed the lead to Kimi Raikkonen, who was looking for his fourth win from five Belgian Grands Prix. The Finn led over 80% of the race, with the occasional lead change during the pitstops.
An ever-increasing threat from Hamilton soon turned into controversy, as the McLaren driver was forced to cut the Bus Stop chicane. Hamilton gave the place back straight away, as he should have, and dove down the inside of Raikkonen for the lead again at the next corner. This would ultimately affect the outcome of the race, as Hamilton was given a 25 second penalty, dropping him from first to third.
When the day-long threat of heavy rain finally transpired, mayhem ensued as Raikkonen and Hamilton diced for the lead of the race. A near-miss with Nico Rosberg at Fagnes caused both leaders to spin, with Raikkonen later dumping his Ferrari into the wall. With Raikkonen out of the race, Hamilton’s only threat seemed to be the weather, which the Englishman was able to overcome to cross the line first. However, the aforementioned penalty was only applied after the race, and lost Hamilton the win to Felipe Massa, who was the only challenger to Hamilton in the championship. Nick Heidfeld was promoted from third to second as a result, with the German having shot through the field from ninth to third as a result of a late switch to wet tyres.
McLaren inevitably appealed the penalty, arguing that Hamilton had done the right thing by giving the place, but the FIA ruled that drive-through penalties, which turned into the post-race 25 second penalty, were unappealable, and upheld their original decision.
Make what you will of the ruling, but there’s no denying that the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix retains one of the most exciting and unpredictable ends to a Grand Prix in history.
#4 – 1976 Japanese Grand Prix
The climax of a Hollywood blockbuster
The final race of 1976 was the culmination of a season of which the epic proportions were enough to convince Ron Howard that there should be a film about it. And rightly so, if the film was made as a work of fiction many would have thought it not possible. However, the fact that the events of 1976 did happen makes it all the more special to Formula 1 fans.
That season had Niki Lauda’s name written all over it, with the Austrian standing on the podium in eight of the opening nine races, including five victories. The championship was then thrown into disarray as Lauda suffered a near-fatal accident at the Nurburgring, from which he miraculously returned to competition six weeks later. During this time, his fierce rival James Hunt had closed the gap in the championship meaning the final race in Japan would be the decider.
After qualifying third on the grid, one place behind Hunt, Lauda elected to retire on the second due to the torrential Fuji rain drowning the track. He later admitted that as well as feeling unsafe in the conditions, he struggled to cope with his inability to blink due to injuries sustained in Germany. While this deprived us of a potential showdown between the now-Hollywood rivals, Hunt still had it all to do in his pursuit of the third place he need to steal the title from Lauda. While running in the third place he needed, Hunt suffered a deflating tyre and subsequently pitted, dropping him to fifth. Fresh rubber and a drying track aided the Englishman’s progress, and he went on to snatch the third place he need to take his only championship title.
#3 – 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix
The one that had everything
The particular running of the classic Sao Paulo race was another that seemed to throw the script out of the window. It was almost as if nothing went to plan, with multiple drivers meeting the barriers, a race-ending red flag, a court case deciding the winner and NONE of the podium spots occupied by the right driver.
Due to the soaked Interlagos circuit, the race started under the safety car. During this time, the Jordan of Giancarlo Fisichella decided to pit and fill up his fuel to the end of the race, a gamble which would ultimately pay off for the Italian. When the race did get underway, the McLaren’s were running 1-2 ahead of local hero Rubens Barrichello.
An heavy accident for Ralph Firman and Olivier Panis on lap 18 brought out the safety car again, bunching up the field. The track was starting to dry out in places, but a river at turn 3 caused problems for a number of drivers, including Juan Pablo Montoya, Jenson Button and reigning champion Michael Schumacher. The Minardi of Jos Verstappen also had a date with the turn 3 barrier, and claimed after the race that given his position on track, if he had kept his car on track he may well have gone on to give Minardi their first victory.
Barrichello gave the fans something to cheer about on lap 44 when he took the lead from David Coulthard, but two laps later was to endure more heartbreak as his Ferrari pulled to the side of the track. Coulthard, now back in the lead, soon pitted for a routine pitstop, leaving team mate Kimi Raikkonen in the lead with the Jordan of Fisichella in second.
Fisichella soon overtook Raikkonen, who was struggling for front end grip, but mayhem further down the field soon took the attention away from the unlikely leader, as Mark Webber spun into the barriers coming up the start/finish straight. This wasn’t the end though, as Fernando Alonso seemingly ignored the yellow flags and ploughed into the debris from Webber’s crash, resulting in his own accident.
The red flag was immediately thrown, and the race was ended as they had completed over 75% of the race distance. The Jordan team started celebrating in the pits, believing they had won, but the festivities were short-lived, as the countback ruled in favour of Raikkonen, who was awarded the victory.
Due to the fact that Alonso, who was classified third, was being seen to in the medical centre, Raikkonen and Fisichella took to the podium with the third step empty. In the weeks following the race, however, Jordan protested the race result, claiming that Fisichella had already started the next lap before the red flag was thrown, meaning that the countback would still show their driver as the race leader. The FIA reviewed the telemetry and agreed, subsequently declaring Fisichella the race winner, meaning that out of the top three drivers, none of them were on the correct step of the podium.
It was a race that had everything, and events that no one could have predicted. And just to top things off, an impromptu ceremony was set up at the next race in Imola, where Kimi Raikkonen handed over the winner’s trophy from Brazil to Giancarlo Fisichella, and Ron Dennis gave the constructor’s trophy to Eddie Jordan.
#2 – 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix
Massa champion for 30 seconds
The 2008 Formula 1 season will most likely be remembered as one of the most exciting and enthralling season in the history of the sport, with no fewer than four drivers all entertaining thoughts of taking the title. To cap it all off, the events of the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix will forever rule the memories of all those who witnessed such an epic climax.
Despite championship challenges from Robert Kubica and reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen, the Formula 1 circus arrived at Interlagos with only Lewis Hamilton and local favourite Felipe Massa in with a mathematical chance of taking the crown.
Massa in the Ferrari, fuelled on determination and support from the adoring Brazilian public, did absolutely everything right in his pursuit of the title, taking pole position, fastest lap and the race win, leaving it all up to his English rival Lewis Hamilton.
Given Hamilton’s points lead in the standings, all he had to do was finish fifth to become champion. Judging by Hamilton’s record in his two season in Formula 1, this sounded like a formality, but we all know it’s never that simple when it comes to a finale.
Rain began to fall on lap 63 of the scheduled 71, meaning all of the frontrunners, with the exception of Timo Glock, pitted for intermediate tyres. The ever-increasing rain soon caught out Hamilton, who was easily passed by Sebastian Vettel on lap 69, losing him the fifth place he needed for the title. Two laps later, Massa crossed the line in first place thinking he had done enough to be champion. As it stood he was, but a mere 30 seconds later Glock’s choice of dry tyres backfired, and he slipped behind Hamilton, giving the Englishman the fifth place he needed at the last corner of the last lap.
Both McLaren and Ferrari celebrated, before the Scuderia realised what had happened, which was enough to reduce Massa to tears as he accepted defeat like a true sportsman.
#1 – 2011 Canadian Grand Prix
The race of the century
There could only have been one winner in this list, and that is the race that was voted ‘race of the century’ in a poll conducted recently by Sky Sports F1. The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix set multiple records, firstly as the longest Grand Prix ever at four hours, four minutes and 39 seconds (including the red flag period), the lowest average race winning speed at 46.5mph, the most pitstops from the race winner, with Jenson Button stopping six times en route to victory, and the most number of safety car appearances, with six deployments.
The race started behind the safety car due to the wet track, with multiple incidents occurring once the Grand Prix did get underway, including a spin for Mark Webber and a collision between both of the McLaren drivers, forcing Lewis Hamilton to retire. During the following safety car period, Button was slapped with a drive-through penalty for speeding behind the safety car, and rejoined in 15th place.
Another torrential downpour brought out the red flag, which many thought would see the race ended. However, the race was restarted, with rain still falling. Shortly after the restart, Button was involved in another collision, this time with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, causing the Spaniard to retire and meaning another trip to the pits for Button, leaving him in 21st and last out of the remaining runners.
But, when it seemed as though all hope was lost, the Englishman quietly picked his way through the field, and by the time another safety car period had played out after a strange incident involving Nick Heidfeld, the McLaren driver found himself in fourth and sniffing a chance of a podium.
Button made the best of a drying track to ease past Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher, before setting off after race leader Sebastian Vettel, who up to that point in the championship seemed unbeatable. However, such was Button’s sheer pace in reeling in Vettel, the German eventually cracked under the pressure and suffered a half spin at the sixth turn of the final lap, handing victory to the man who went from seventh on the grid to the back of the field before overtaking everybody, stopping a total of six times along the way.
Button called it the greatest victory of his career, and who can blame him?
List compiled by Topher Smith and Daniel Davis
