Often referred to in F1 as a great “equalizer” in terms of car performance, rain makes pure driving stand out and reward. It’s no secret that money plays a tremendous role in sport, with bigger teams that have more financial backing essentially dominating the whole grid. When it rains over the track, the difficult wet conditions demand precision, concentration and pure talent for all the superiority of the car.
Drivers who manage to make minimal mistakes and optimize the ability to stand out regardless of the car’s limited capabilities are often the ones who take the first steps on the podium in rainy weather. George Russell’s phenomenal qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix is a clear example of how rain can show a driver’s true potential. The Briton drove to provisional pole position in one of the undoubtedly slowest cars on the F1 grid in 2021 and then finished second only behind Max Verstappen. These underdog races give fans some of the most exciting fights out there.
The top races of F1 2021 in the wet
# 3 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Rainy weather races are the most anticipated by fans and in 2021 the first of these chaotic, rainy races was witnessed at the second Imola Grand Prix. The drama started on the warm-up lap when Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari spun after losing control on its intermediate tires. On the first lap there were chaotic overtaking maneuvers, with Lewis Hamilton losing the lead to title rival Max Verstappen. The Briton was pushed far in the Tamburello chicane after an intense wheel-to-wheel battle. As if that weren’t bad enough for him, he raced into the Tosa bend and slipped off the road into the gravel bed on lap 31, which gave Verstappen a massive time advantage at the front.
For the Mercedes driver, however, things began to change very quickly. A high-speed collision between Valtteri Bottas and George Russell on the next lap of the race brought out the safety car. This then gave Hamilton the opportunity to develop and eventually fight his way to second place. With several collisions and three failures, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix gave us one of the most exciting races of the season.
# 2 Hungarian Grand Prix
Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris hit a pile-up after a catastrophic start on the first lap, making for one of the most exciting races of the season. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren suffered severe damage to the car from the chaos and therefore had to compromise most of their race. In one of the most bizarre moments of the race, the subsequent restart with a red flag saw every single remaining slick driver pit as the track dried out. Only the leader Lewis Hamilton made a different decision and became the only driver to start from the grid.
The decision cost him an easy win. After the Brit came out of the pits on the next lap with new tires, Hamilton was only able to make up second place thanks to a brilliant defense by Fernando Alonso, which helped Esteban Ocon to a phenomenal first race win. With six retirements in the end, the Hungaroring gave us one of the craziest races of the season.
# 1 Russian Grand Prix
ROUND 51/53
Norris stayed out on slicks, but he fights for grip and loses time and then turns away
Hamilton (on Inters) has passed him and is leading the race
#Russian GP # F1
LAP 51 / 53Norris stayed out on slicks but he is fighting for grip and losing time and then turns away Hamilton (on Inters) has overtaken him and is leading the race at # RussianGP # F1 https://t.co/DHuyzkD9B6
The Russian Grand Prix was one of the most exciting and devastating races of the 2021 F1 season. After a phenomenal McLaren 1-2 at the Italian Grand Prix, fan favorite Lando Norris took his first pole position in the Sochi Auditorium. While the Briton lost his lead after turn 1 on the first lap to his former teammate Carlos Sainz, he confidently took it back on lap 13. Norris then drove a mega-drive for most of the race and led the field until it quickly started to switch.
The McLaren driver bravely held back seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton for several laps before the rain increased significantly, forcing most drivers to pit for promoted drivers. However, Norris could almost taste the champagne from a glorious first win and decided to stay out and not risk his lead against his compatriot. With two laps to go, the 22-year-old couldn’t find a grip on his slicks and drove off, finishing the race in a heartbreaking seventh place. Hamilton, who pitted for the new tires, comfortably took the lead while Verstappen fought his way from the end of the grid to second, while Carlos Sainz finished third.
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