Wet Wet Wetter: F1's wettest and wildest weekends

With two world titles already under his belt, there is little doubting Michael Schumacher’s prowess behind the wheel of an F1 car but while his 1996 campaign can best be described as ‘fact finding’ following his switch from Benetton to Ferrari, many highlight his all-conquering performance in the Spanish Grand Prix as the drive of his stellar career. With the compromising F310 (once referred to as a 'bathtub') barely a match for Williams’ all-conquering FW18, rain provided the great leveller for Ferrari and Schumacher on that rainy day in 1996, the German taking the lead on lap 13 and proceeding to stretch clear, multiplying his advantage with poise and accuracy as his rivals slipped well behind him by preferring to tip-toe and play safe. At times three seconds a lap faster than his rivals, a first Ferrari win for Schumacher – both at the time and in hindsight of huge success to follow – was always going to be viewed historically, but the manner of his 45secs win in Barcelona would offer up an extraordinary legacy over the next two decades.

It is fitting that Ayrton Senna’s first F1 win came in terrible weather conditions. The Brazilian was almost a shock winner for Toleman during the initial stages of his immense career at a wet 1984 Monaco Grand Prix and after he triumphed in Estoril in 1985 for Lotus, he would go on to repeat the feat several times when the clouds opened. His drive in Portugal though signalled his speciality in conditions where deft car control and an intimacy with the grip made the difference, Senna leading off from a maiden pole position (set in dry conditions) to be 13secs clear by lap 10 and 30secs ahead by lap 20. It was a margin he would steadily increase as the race reached its 2 hours timed maximum, Senna taking the chequered flag having lapped all-but-second place Michele Alboreto, himself more than a minute behind. A star in the making Senna may have already been, but if there were still any doubters in that moment, his reputation was now assured.

Holding the record for the shortest ever F1 race, the 1991 Australian Grand Prix is one that most drivers participating maintained should have never started. Marking the climax to the 1991 season – already won by Ayrton Senna -, the race started in poor conditions and simply worsened, leading to a flurry of spinners over the opening ten laps, with cars, debris and recovery vehicles strewn across various sections of the circuit amidst terrible spray. When Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger and Nelson Piquet – running second, third and fourth behind leader Senna - all spun out, the race was finally brought to a halt on lap 17 and despite attempts to restart it, protests would see officials forced to call the result after just 24mins of racing. In a final twist, the race was bizarrely called complete as of lap 14 which meant Senna was classified the winner from Mansell, Berger, Piquet, Riccardo Patrese and Gianni Morbidelli, even though three of those weren’t technically running at the end of lap 15 when it should have been called. It wasn’t the only treacherous race to take place in Adelaide, with the 1989 race seeing all but six cars reach the finish line, the last of which was four laps down on the winner.

The majority of races on this list have been focused around one driver and the 2011 Montreal race was no different. It was Jenson Button’s turn. After a low-key start behind the safety car the race sparked into action when Button collided with McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton which forced a second safety car period before the race was suspended due to heavy rain on lap 26. After over two hours of waiting the race did resume but Button came into contact with a rival for a second time in the race when he clashed with Fernando Alonso on lap 37 which saw the Spanish driver retire and Button drop back to last place. Cue his 21st to first dash. With five laps to go Button worked his way up to second having passed Mark Webber before getting the better of Sebastian Vettel on a dramatic last lap to claim a stunning victory.

It’s been 17 years since the Malaysian Grand Prix made its debut on the F1 calendar and in that time the Sepang Circuit has seen its fair share of wet races over time… moreover, when it rains in Malaysia, it really does pour, as drivers and organisers found to their cost in 2009 when the race was halted on lap 33 and it couldn’t be restarted. Then again, one could argue the circumstances that led to the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix being abandoned after barely halfway perhaps should have been foreseen after the race start time was shifted to 17.00 local time which gave almost no contingency to run the race beyond a 2 hour window should there be a stoppage. Unfortunately that is exactly what happened, with worsening conditions forcing a red flag as the race was getting into its stride, the ensuing combination of dwindling daylight combined with the leaden stormy skies alone making it difficult to identify the cars that had been brought to a halt on the start-finish straight. In the end Brawn’s Jenson Button was classified the winner, albeit with half-points awarded for only the fifth time in F1 history and the first time since the 1991 Australian Grand Prix.

Certainly not one which goes down in the F1 annuals as a classic for the right reasons. Having started behind the safety car both Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were ordered to pit by the FIA having started on standard wet tyres and not ‘extreme wets’, while at Red Bull Mark Webber threw up in his helmet still feeling effects of overnight food poisoning. The view wasn’t great for the fans in the pouring rain either with transport issues causing large sections of fans to miss the race completely. After a string of crashes, the safety car was required on lap 45 when Sebastian Vettel slammed into the rear of Webber which eliminated both drivers. As Hamilton avoided any further dramas he claimed victory ahead of Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen, taking his maiden F1 podium, and Raikkonen in third.

Though the United States Grand Prix itself proved to be relatively dry, the drama in the run up to the Austin race earns it a place here. Rain was always expected in the wake of storms and hurricanes in the Texas region, but the intensity of the rain forecast only increased as the weekend neared, so when the first drops came on Friday it didn't relent until Sunday morning. With fans waking up to dismal conditions, organisers were informed to close the circuit for safety precautions, which meant FP3 - which did run for a time - took place with barely anyone watching. The venue was eventually opened but by now the circuit was so wet qualifying was delayed time and again before it was eventually cancelled (albeit not before some amusing pit-lane antics, above). Still wet on Sunday morning, a chaotic qualifying did take place just as the rain finally stopped. Starting wet but drying quickly, the race turned out to be one of the best of the year.

Controversy reigned supreme in the wet at Monaco when the race was red flagged early denying Ayrton Senna victory over future arch rival Alain Prost. After a 45-minute delay on the race start, Niki Lauda persuaded Bernie Ecclestone to get the fire trucks to hose the tunnel under as it was covered in oil and would act as a skid pan with cars coming off the wet track. With the fully wet track Nigel Mansell [pictured] made his charge to the front to lead his first F1 Grand Prix before being held up in the tunnel to see Prost return to the lead. Behind the front-runners, rookie Senna had been demonstrating his legendary pace in the wet to storm to second to quickly close in on Prost. After the French driver waved for the race to be stopped the red flag was thrown by clerk of the course Jacky Ickx at the end of lap 32. The slowing Prost was overtaken by Senna at the finish line but the race was classified on the order of lap 31 to hand Prost victory from Senna. The stoppage was controversial as Prost won in a Porsche-designed car with Ickx’s influence in sportscars with Rothmans-Porsche well known. Ickx was duly suspended from his duties.

In a relatively subdued race with F1 reeling from Gilles Villeneuve’s death at the Belgian Grand Prix, the Monaco race ended with only one car seeing the chequered flag on the lead lap. Having started as one of the forgettable Monaco races with a straight duel between Alain Prost and Riccardo Patrese rain caused an almighty shake up with less than 10 laps to go. On the third lap from the chequered flag Prost slipped off and crashed in the barriers at Chicane du Port before Patrese spun at Loews a lap later. That meant on the last lap Ferrari’s Didier Peroni unexpectedly led but at the tunnel he ran out of fuel only for Andrea de Cesaris to also run out of fuel and unable to pass the French driver. It left the race open for Derek Daly but his damaged gearbox gave up before the final lap. With potentially zero drivers making the final lap Patrese had bump-started his car and limped to the finish to win ahead of Peroni and de Cesaris.

If Eddie Jordan ever called on the ‘Luck of the Irish’ during his time in F1 then it was also seemingly a direct line to Mother Nature. Of Jordan Grand Prix’s four wins in F1, three occurred in inclement weather conditions and this was no more apparent than during the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, scene of a sensational first win and 1-2 finish. One of the best remembered races of the modern era, the tone of the Spa-Francorchamps thriller was set just seconds from the first start when David Coulthard clipped the sodden grass on the run towards Eau Rouge and spun across almost the entire field into the opposing wall. The ensuing carnage caught out 13 drivers, four of which fail to make the restart. Even the restart had drama as Mika Hakkinen spun out at turn one, paving the way for Michael Schumacher to make big in-roads on his title rival, with the ‘regenmeister’ sprinting into a plus-30secs lead… only to slam into the back of unsighted lapped runner Coulthard (having an eventful day) on lap 24, ending his race and prompting the incensed German to go after the Scot in the pit lane. From the spray emerged Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher, now running in an unexpected 1-2 for the Jordan team and on course for a famous result. Even then there are some nerves as Schumacher closed on Hill sensing his first win, only for Jordan to urge him to hold station to protect a landmark result… he begrudgingly obeyed and allowed Hill to take the honour.

Donington Park has only once held an F1 race but thanks to the combination of a typically dank British spring day and Ayrton Senna’s skills in the wet, it was at least a memorable first and last jaunt. Another spectacular demonstration of his prowess in wet conditions, such was Senna’s ability in slippery conditions that it would take just one spectacular lap to assure the race’s enduring legacy. Qualifying his McLaren fourth, Senna may have been fifth by the first corner but would promptly scythe back past four rivals ahead of him – Michael Schumacher, Karl Wendlinger, Damon Hill and Alain Prost -, one-by-one through the ensuing corners to spectacularly lead at the end of the opening lap. From here Senna went on to multiply his advantage, even as intermittent rain and changeable track conditions threw curve balls that would catch out others. By the chequered flag, Senna led by 1min 20secs from Hill, with every other driver at least a lap down.

Niki Lauda entered the 1976 final round three points ahead of title rival James Hunt after surviving a near-death accident at the Nurburgring but the weather threw up a decision which forced mortality into the championship decider. Despite steadfast beliefs from many drivers the race shouldn’t go ahead in heavy rain and fog at Fuji, organisers decided to go ahead with the race. With Hunt leading on the opening lap, Lauda pitted at the end of lap two to withdraw as he thought the race was too dangerous, followed by Larry Perkins, Carlos Pace and Emerson Fittipaldi. A twist in proceedings saw conditions improve which hampered Hunt who slipped down to fifth at one point and needing a minimum of third place to seal the title he overtook Clay Regazzoni and Alan Jones on the last lap to take the world crown.