Max Verstappen put in a spectacular drive during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to take perhaps one of the greatest victories of his career so far, the Dutchman having climbed from P17 on the grid to seal his 62nd win in Formula 1 and further bolster his chances of claiming a fourth world championship.
But what made it all the more impressive was that Verstappen contended with changing weather throughout a chaotic afternoon at Interlagos, the Red Bull man mastering bouts of heavy rain – which caught out many others throughout the weekend – to make it to the chequered flag.
Which begs the question – will Verstappen’s masterful comeback be added to the list of stunning wet weather showcases from the sport’s past? From a memorable first win to a drive once lauded as the best ever seen in F1, we’ve rounded up some of the greatest rain-affected performances of all time…
Max Verstappen, 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
What better place to start than with Verstappen himself – incidentally for another day where he made the art of passing numerous cars in the wet at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace look easy, eight years before his latest victory in Sao Paulo.
After making a late pit stop for wet tyres during a rain-sodden Grand Prix, Verstappen dropped down the order to 14th and was faced with the challenge of trying to salvage a good result in the 16 laps remaining.
It was a task that Verstappen not only completed but utterly excelled in, the then 19-year-old going on to pass 11 drivers – including the likes of Sebastian Vettel, another name featured in this list – amid treacherous conditions to claim an against-the-odds podium in third. Red Bull boss Christian Horner later said of the performance: “I think what we witnessed today was something very special.”
