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The 2021 F1 season has been one of the best we've had in a long time. In many ways, this was a season that kept producing surprises at races when not much was expected.
To add to that, the 2021 F1 season has had multiple races where rain played a role. Be it at Imola before the start of the race, Hungary, or Spa, or even in the murky conditions in Turkey, rain played a role almost every time, and made things a lot more fun.
Moreover, this F1 season saw new talent emerge that proved itself in wet weather conditions as well. Keeping that in mind, we've ranked the top 5 drivers in wet weather conditions this season.
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To rank these drivers we have only used the 2021 F1 season as the basis, and have not considered anything beyond that. So, without further ado, let's have a look at the top five wet weather drivers in the 2021 F1 season:
#5 Lewis Hamilton
It is slightly surprising to put Lewis Hamilton, the reigning champion as well as one of the wet weather greats at number 5. The reason behind this, though, has been Hamilton's performances in wet-weather conditions, which have been a bit of a mixed bag this F1 season.
He had a potentially terminal spin into the gravel at Imola. Then there was the decision to not pit for intermediates at Hungary, which resulted in a loss of a certain win. Hamilton also got out-qualified by a Williams at Spa, and then he had a pretty underwhelming drive to fifth in Turkey.
That essentially means there weren't too many standout moments in wet-weather conditions from the Mercedes driver this year.
#4 Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc is a driver that prides himself as one of the best in every condition. Because of that, he might not be that happy to find himself in fourth position in this list.
He had had a pretty decent season in terms of performances in wet weather. He Leclerc was one of the standout performers at Imola and just missed out on a podium at the Turkish Grand Prix. Compared to that his teammate Carlos Sainz, he certainly fared better.
What doesn't sound good is his unfortunate retirement in Hungary, thanks to the wayward Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Neither does a Q2 exit in the rain at Spa. Whenever Leclerc has had a chance, he's shown his pedigree as one of the best in F1. But an apparent lack of results puts him in fourth in our list.
#3 George Russell
George Russell, in many ways, has been the find of the 2021 F1 season. Everyone knew how good he could be last year, but this year with a slightly better car he has been able to show what he can do more often.
His qualifying lap to P2 at Spa has to be considered the highlight of the season. But that doesn't take away from the fact that he would have scored points at Imola if not for the crash. Moreover, he did score points in Hungary, albeit in a fortuitous manner.
The 2022 F1 season is one where everyone would keep an eye on, as Russel has been compared to Lewis Hamilton. That's something Russell will look to live up to.
#2 Lando Norris
In many ways, the most improved driver in F1, Lando Norris has been a revelation of sorts for McLaren this year. But what has stood out has been his ability to perform at a very high level consistently.
He picked up a podium in Imola. He was blisteringly quick at Spa, and it could have been his first pole (as well as a win) had he not gone out on a treacherous track.
He was one of many drivers to get steamrolled by Valtteri Bottas in Hungary. But even in an uncompetitive McLaren in Turkey, Norris was able to salvage a decent result. Lando has been a standout this season, irrespective of conditions.
#1 Max Verstappen
It shouldn't come as a surprise to find Max Verstappen at the top of our list, as he was the best F1 driver in the wets in 2021. Out of the four races where weather played a role, Max Verstappen won two, finished runner-up in one, and was taken out by the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas in another.
That's a stellar record, and it is backed up by a consistent display of speed on the track. He handily beat Lewis Hamilton in Imola, pulled out a pole lap at Spa out of nowhere. Even in Turkey, where his car was not capable of anything more, he extracted the maximum possible result from the car.
It is difficult not to put the Red Bull driver on top of our list after such a consistent run.
