Max Verstappen
2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
James Moy Photography
I’ve been fully signed up to the Max Verstappen fanclub for a good few years. I’ve never made any bones about it nor attempted to hide my genuine excitement over his talent and potential. But even I had to take a small step back from Brazil. Because while his drive was outstanding, it was also born of the simplicity of common sense. What was surprising to me was not so much what Max was doing, but more what his rivals were not.
It’s something I’ve become used to calling in races as a live report from the track, but when the heavens open Max Verstappen and, if we are to be fair, those of his age group such as Esteban Ocon, tend to prefer to use what I have come to refer to as the wet “karting” lines.
You see, when it rains, the irony is that the last place you really want to be is on the traditional racing line. In dry conditions the racing line is that which becomes “rubbered in,” and thus provides the greatest level of grip. However in the wet this very same line of rubber that provides grip in the dry becomes slippery. As such, the racing line is really the last place you want to be. Yes, it is the shortest route around the track, but in the wet the racing line can also be the trickiest path to tread.
The highest levels of grip in the wet both cornering and under braking can therefore be off the traditional line. Not only does taking these lines thus offer you a better shot at getting the car stopped or putting the power down, but also, as they are off the traditional line, a clearer scope of vision as you pull out of the spray of those ahead.
It really isn’t rocket science. Go to any kart track and watch any competitive kart meet in the rain and you will witness exactly those lines and precisely that technique. It is something you learn from your earliest days in racing. It is something you make use of throughout junior formulae. And yet it is an art that apparently most of the Formula 1 fraternity has forgotten.
Raikkonen retires
2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
James Moy Photography
Sebastian Vettel has labelled Pirelli’s Full Wet tyre the “safety car tyre,” as its only real use in his eyes is to run behind the pace car. It’s why so many drivers risked switching to the Intermediate in the hideous conditions on Sunday. The half-way house tyre provides almost the same level of grip at racing speeds as the Full Wet, which is in itself a damning state of affairs.
Of course the Full Wet is not helped by being run for so long behind the Safety Car. Temperatures and operating pressures drop at such low speeds, meaning the tyre can rarely do its job of dissipating water from the racing line and is then less than at its optimum when racing finally commences. Even at full speed and peak operating conditions, however, the Full Wet tyre seems woefully inadequate for the job at hand.
But, as we regular road users are constantly told, one must drive to the conditions. If the tyres available only offer a small amount of grip, then as the alleged best drivers in the world it is a Formula 1 racer’s job to get the maximum performance from those very same tyres. It is worthy of note that both red flags came about as a result of drivers running on the Full Wet, the first for debris strewn across the track from the wet-shod Raikkonen’s shunt and the second because it was believed that the Full Wets could not handle the weather as it was at the time, despite numerous protestations to the contrary from drivers who understood the mantra of racing to the conditions.
What can we draw from Verstappen’s fine racecraft in Brazil, then? Have Formula 1 drivers, as a collective, forgotten the very basics of driving in the wet? Have they become lazy, expecting to be able to simply forge the simplest, fastest route at all times and in all conditions? Are they so uncertain of their cars or their tyres that they dare not deviate from the racing line?
Or is Max Verstappen a straight up genius?
Esteban Ocon2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
James Moy Photography
I am, of course, doing both Verstappen, Ocon and those who attempted those lines and those moves a disservice. We all know that it isn’t as simple as just sticking your car on a different part of the track and suddenly finding grip, speed and a few seconds a lap. If you are going to drive your car off the racing line at 300kph, you need to have bravery, skill, confidence, and not a small amount of luck. You are going to hit standing water. You are not going to find that dry line. You are going to experience far more squeaky bum moments.
Which, I suppose, makes these stand-out drives all the more impressive. For as much as they are born of the application of one of the most basic of racing maxims, they still require a high level of risk and a huge amount of skill to pull off. Even more so to make it look so effortless.
Whether the majority of F1 drivers have become lazy, timid or simply forgetful, thank heavens there remain the extraordinary few who, in their racing adolescence, still remember and still attempt the basics.
Max Verstappen
2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
James Moy Photography
The Buxton Blog 
I thought Hulkenberg did a pretty good job also with much bravery and moves around the outside
There’s no doubt it was a good drive from Max, but I don’t think it was as great as all the fanfare suggests. The Red Bull was clearly the best suited car to the conditions (Max and Daniel Ricciardo were one and two on the fastest lap table) and, as Max said himself, it is unlikely he would have won even if the team hadn’t brought him in for inters.
Hamilton’s drive was equally as impressive – arguably more so given he made no mistakes in the appalling conditions and the championship was at stake had he binned it. He just had no TV time.
And as you point out, Will, Ocon’s drive was also superb. 15 seconds clear of Mercedes protoge Wehrlein in the same machinery and within a second and a half of Bottas and Alonso. Fantastic.
Great race. Let’s hope for rain in Abu Dhabi – I won’t hold my breath though!
And Verstappen mentioned that Hamilton also used his style of driving
Hulkenberg was also driving in Holland, so he learned it as well… I guess!
Personally, I thought too much was made of Max’s drive. I agree he’s perhaps *the* driver of this upcoming generation, but there’s better drives to come from Max. He had what was the second fastest car in dry conditions, and as much as he showed great pace and pulled off incredible overtakes, he didn’t seem to have Lewis’ pace while Nico was in cruise control and we won’t know what he could’ve done if he committed fully.
Wouldn’t take anything away from Max – it was one of, if not the best drive of the year – but I was definitely asking questions of the others. I expected more from some of the veteran drivers and can’t help but feel that was the real talking point. This piece goes some way to explaining it (thanks Will), but I think there’s still much to ponder.
We can add the inability for drivers to race in wet conditions to the long list of things that need to be addressed in the sport. I don’t remember races in these conditions being interrupted 10-15 years ago.
Not taking anything away from Max’s drive, but why no mention that he was on much fresher full wet tires compared to those around him. As always, a very well written article with great incite about the current state of driving in the rain.
Easy. Pirelli said there was hardly any tire wear. So the difference in tire performance was minimal.
Furthermore, Ricciardo’s tires were a whopping two laps older and he could not deliver what Max did.
That’s why this is one for the F1 history books.
Probably because the influence of those tires on Verstappen’s performance was very debatable. According to Pirelli none of the tires used in the race showed much degradation. Quite logical because the track was completely soaked.
Andrew .. that is because Hulkenberg also was karting in The Netherlands in his youth (he is born a couple of km outside Holland). Unlike other countries where they put full wet tires in the rain in Holland they race on slicks when it is wet!
Why no body wrights about the new rain tyres Max had one? Because it dos not make a big differents if the wets are brand new or driven 30 laps in havy rain. Pirreli was stuned after exammenig all tyres after the race. There was not realy anny difference between them. The thing is that you have to have the guts and the trust to get them warm and working. Could rubber dosn’t stick. And ideal lines don’t work in the rain. A lot of them other drivers chosse exactly that ideal line to ease arround and sail to the flag……. Seccond is that indeed Max is the one who gets in to his kart wen its starting to rain. Most lightly on slicks to. There where others seek the chealter of the pitt accomadation. At these wet moments you’l start learning to drive in an other dimension. .
Mitch : if you had seen the post from Pirelli than you would know that none of the tires had sign of ware during the race, that sayed verstappen was one of the fastest all the time. Also would i like to say even if he had the best tires than he and the team did a good job. I know i am dutch but also a F1 fan he was the best that day…..notting more notting less really………….his overtakes where great and he drove completly different lines thats where his speed came from and thats why ity was amazing for a lot of ppl.
No kidding? Thank you, I did not know that. VERY impressive drive by him.
Will,
You are excellent. I’m looking forward to an F1 book authored by you!
Max was inventive but for me Hamilton is the grand master in these conditions. He actually took the less grippy “dry racing line” in the wet and was comfortably faster than Max in a slightly slightly inferior chassis. He said it was easy and I believe him. After all this is the guy that won in the Silverstone deluge of 08 by 67 freaking seconds! Enough said.
I don’t agree totally. Of course Hamilton is an outstanding driver and he had a lot of bad luck this season, but he was no faster than Max in Brazil. He was 23 seconds ahead of Max, but then Mad had two more pitstops because of a strategy that didn’t work…
If you watch Max’s overtake past Rosberg from over head view, you will see Max was in sideways drift all the way round. He used the rotation to get past and make the corner.
It was impressive.
I thought Max was immense in Brazil. Certainly from a fan perspective as it was great to watch. I think his move on Vet was probably the best of them. However, I’m not yet convinced that the drive immediately makes him comparable to the ‘greats’ or the one ‘rain master’. Apart from his teammate (who supposedly couldn’t see anything through his visor), he was the only one in the best car for the job and on new tyres. So I think a bit of perspective is needed. It is also interesting to note that he didn’t show any signs of being able to get past Ros in the early phases. I think if he had come second it would really have been because he was given the opportunities of safety car restarts.
Ham did a very good job up front, but at the same time had earned the advantage of a) being able to see and b) having more consistent grip (i.e. not having the risk of coming on or off a leading car’s path, where the risk of aquaplaning is greater (E.g. Kimi)). I think was interesting that he called for a safety car start in the radio transcripts. Clearly that suited him. He was also complaining to the team that he couldn’t see the safety car lights the vis was so bad, so one can only imagine what it would have been like for the cars behind.
I feel a bit for Ros, whose drive in my opinion was underrated. His save could have been the move that keeps his championship alive and to do that under the pressure he must be feeling was really very impressive. It was obvious he wasn’t taking the fight to Ham but he was certainly doing enough to keep the ‘rain master’ Max behind him until the second safety car. I think this approach was totally correct in his position and given the conditions. The fact he kept it on the road when the likes of Vet, Alonso, Kimi and Max all had far worse incidents is surely to be admired. Personally, that was a champion’s drive. The idea that a champion’s drive would involve brining the fight to Ham or indeed Max at the risk of putting it in the wall is just nonsense.