Formula 1 might have proved in Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying that its 2026 cars can run on full wet tyres, but its problems in handling rainy conditions are not over yet. As The Reports notes, Mercedes driver George Russell warned that if the kind of weather that drivers faced on Saturday is repeated in the race, then the chances of trouble are very high.
"I love driving in the rain here but, at some point, if that was a race, there was no way we should be driving in that because the chances of seeing a really, really horrific incident are very, very high," Russell said. One of the running themes throughout the start of the current rules era was that the high-torque characteristics of the current power units allied to the performance of Pirelli's intermediates were a total mismatch. Drivers had warned that problems in getting temperature into the inters - which were the default wet-weather tyre - made them quite a challenge. Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, who was far from impressed after running a wet-weather tyre test at Magny-Cours after the Miami GP in May, predicted an "elimination game" when talk of them needing to be raced earlier in the year cropped up.
Recent races have proven that the inter was not as bad as initially feared, but the doubts about the wet remained until now. F1 has faced years where it has been heavily restricted in terms of how wet things got before sessions could not run. The limiting factor was more related to poor visibility caused by the rain, with the ground effect cars throwing up too much spray behind them for drivers to see when running close to each other. This often meant drivers would stick it out on the intermediate tyre because, when conditions got bad enough for the wet, then cars would not run anyway. It was often remarked that the wets were effectively only safety car tyres. All throughout 2026, the wet tyre had never been used in anger, having only been used on the formation lap in Malaysia prior to power unit problems forcing a stoppage, while in the wet Singapore GP sprint race, the intermediate was again the default tyre.
In Brazil, however, conditions got so bad that there was too much standing water for the intermediate to be used when the delayed qualifying session finally got back under way. The wet tyre coming into play in anger for the first time was the consequence of a few factors. Venturing into territory where the water was too deep for the inter tread made the wet necessary, forcing drivers onto a tyre with a deeper tread and a lower operating range, which proved less prone to aquaplaning and at a better running temperature. Also, this current car ruleset seems to have opened a window of wet-weather operating that has not existed before, as work done by the FIA to pull back energy deployment in low-grip conditions meant drivers were not overwhelmed with too much power. Furthermore, while the 2026 cars have proved to be a handful in the dry when on the edge, there seems to be something in their behaviour that makes them more compliant in the wet. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said there seemed to be a different dynamic at play in the wet, noting that from a driveability point of view the session was relatively straightforward.
Another important element was that the FIA proved to be quite bold in the conditions it felt comfortable to get qualifying going. F1 race director Rui Marques picked the moment when safety car driver Bernd Maylander felt that conditions were safe enough to run in once marshals cleared standing water. While conditions seemed on the edge - and Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas, who was first driver out on track, called it a fight for "survival" in the first moments - a lot of cars running together actually helped move a lot of the water. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz reckoned that the timing was just about spot on, though he noted they were aquaplaning in sixth and seventh gear down the straights. Fernando Alonso said of conditions that it was on the limit, but better than waiting in the garage.
Racing in the rain when drivers can leave gaps to help them see better only really applies for qualifying. A different approach will be needed by the FIA for the race when the name of the game is to be as close as possible to the car ahead, which is what Russell was referring to regarding the risks of something big happening. Sainz agreed that it would be difficult to get going based on how things were at the start of Q1, noting it would have been zero visibility and a lot of aquaplaning. Despite qualifying having been completed without any major incident, Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar said that a lack of grip from the wet was still something that needed addressing, expecting more grip and stating they cannot possibly race in these conditions.
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