F1

Who is the Rainmaster?

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  • #131972
    the_sigman
    Participant

    After the death of Ayrton Senna many drivers have won in the wet. But who is the ultimate Rainmaster?
    Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso or someone else?

    #207737
    Mads
    Participant

    Do you mean drivers who have driven since the death of Senna, or drivers currently on the grid?

    #207738
    the_sigman
    Participant

    You could say both.

    #207739

    We did a poll on this four years ago: Hamilton came out on top ahead of Kubica and Alonso:

    Who’s the best F1 driver in the wet? (Poll)

    #207740
    Mads
    Participant

    On current form, then I think Button is well up there. I would guess that Lewis has better pace in the wet, but Button seems to be very good with his timing when rain starts to fall.
    Alonso has also seemed very good this year and put his car very far up the grid when things has been affected by rain. Who is the best? I don’t know, because a lot seems to come down to what car heats its tyres faster then the other, and that will depend on the specific race and the car’s setup.
    I am leaning towards Hamilton, but I am not sure.
    Of drivers after Senna, then I would go with Schumacher. That is of cause excluding his results since his come back. But previously he seemed to be have really excellent pace in the wet.

    #207741
    Andrew81
    Participant

    I don’t think we have a rainmaster at the moment. The wet races in recent years have been won by a variety of drivers, while races with truly wet conditions get red-flagged. What we see more often is changeable conditions where strategy, rather than wet-weather driving skill, plays a far bigger role.

    #207742
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    None, currently. Schumacher historically. Vettel and Hamilton both have been a bit hit and miss. Alonso’s brilliant in mixed weather conditions but he’s not always consistent in the wet either. Button is great- but only when he can switch to slicks. He was dreadful in Korea 2010 and Euro 2007 and he completely chewed up his tyres at Aus 2010 so he had to switch to the dry tyres as he was going backwards.

    #207743
    James_mc
    Participant

    I liked what someone once said of Button which was the “moist-master” as he can time his switch to dry-weather tyres very well. But in an absolute downpour I’d potentially say Hamilton or Alonso. Webber can be pretty handy too!

    #207744
    Enigma
    Participant

    @steph Button dreadful in Nurburgring 2007? Wasn’t he absolutely brilliant there until he was one of the many caught out by the turn 1 lake?

    Anyway, I think it’s more car dependant than we like to think, so that plays a certain role – Hockenheim and McLaren, for example.

    Hulkenberg’s had 3 fantastic qualifying sessions in the wet, but we he hasn’t really shone in a wet race yet.

    Other than that it seems to be different every time. Maybe a bit of an unusual choice, but I’ll go for Webber. Seems to do well in any type of the wet.

    #207745
    Hydro
    Participant

    In the full wet I believe it’s Hamilton, but when the conditions become changeable, Button seems to be better.

    #207746
    Younger Hamii
    Participant

    Looking at the occasions we’ve had wet weather this season as well as previous, I think the car is more of an important factor than people think If i’m honest, take the Ferrari-McLaren contrast this season in those particular conditions for example.

    If I was harassed into giving an answer, I’d say Lewis or Schumi.

    I haven’t notably seen Lewis excel in full wet conditions although in mixed conditions I’ve got more of a reliable comprehension: Spa 2010 & 2011 qualifying,China 2010 & Hungary last year as examples. Talent is permanent & looking at the occasions where there’s been full wet weather conditions, it’s either a renowned tactical blunder by McLaren or the car simply not being competitive in those conditions, that hinders Lewis from showcasing whatever excellence he has in the wet, in conclusion, it’s a combination of car [setup] & driver as we saw with McLaren in Canada last year.

    #207747
    Participant

    All time: Gilles Villeneuve

    #207748
    Lin1876
    Participant

    I seem to remember seeing bits of the old Schumi rainmeister at Canada last year, but in a more general sense I would say it’s either Hamilton or Alonso in proper wet conditions, and Button in changeable conditions.

    #207749
    katederby
    Participant

    One to watch when he gets in a more competitive car, Jean Eric Vergne. He was great on inters in Malaysia, good in Monaco’s changeable weather, his best qualifying was at Silverstone and has lots of wet weather experience from British F3. Le maître de la pluie?!

    #207750
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    In my opinion, after Senna’s fatal accident, Schumacher had the best performances when the rain hit a race. Also some extraordinary performances by other drivers like Hamilton and Alonso. Hulkenberg had some good performances in the wet and Button is very good at changeable conditions. Overall though I don’t believe someone is at the level of Senna or Schumacher in wet conditions.

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