'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
When it comes to F1, wet weather driving is a skill that truly sets the extraordinary talent apart from the regular ones. When it rains, more often than not there's almost a scenario where some of the advantages of a few cars get masked and the driver talent emerges.
Hence when it comes to the sport's history, it's not a surprise that drivers like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher take special mention because of their drives in the wet.
The 2023 F1 season had quite a few races that were impacted by rain. Be it the chaotic race in Monaco or the one in Zandvoort, there were many races where the drivers faced critical conditions and had to tackle them to the best of their abilities.
Who came out on top though? Who were the top five F1 wet weather drivers in 2023? Let's take a look.
#5 Lando Norris (McLaren)
In terms of his usual standards, the 2023 F1 season was not the best for Lando Norris. He had a bad race in the wet conditions in Zandvoort. Norris wasn't particularly impressive in the spirit in Spa either as his teammate got the podium.
Having said that, the 2022 F1 season still had a few very impressive moments. His pace in Monaco in the wet weather caught the eye of everyone and so performed in Canada.
Overall, it was still decent by his standards but could have been much better.
#4 Nico Hulkenberg (Haas F1)
When you're driving a Haas and you're running second in the sprint in Austria, you're doing something right.
Often in 2023, Nico Hulkenberg's ability to set a blistering one-lap pace was put down to the car's ability (even though Kevin Magnussen was nowhere close to his F1 teammate).
But then, some of these standout results especially in the wet weather truly make everyone sit back and acknowledge what Hulkenberg was doing in that car. Securing a top two qualifying position in a Haas is just ridiculous and it's not a result achieved only through fortuitous circumstances but genuine pace.
The German made a rousing return to F1 this season and his talent shone through in the wet weather.
#3 Pierre Gasly (Alpine F1)
Pierre Gasly took some time to get used to life at Alpine but once he got the hang of it, he was very impressive.
When you're securing podiums in an Alpine, it shows how impressively you're driving. However, if you're achieving a podium twice, once in a sprint, then in a grand prix, and in the process of beating some of the faster cars then that just further exemplifies these drives.
Gasly securing a podium in the sprint in Spa and doing the same in treacherous conditions made him one of the standout drivers in 2023.
#2 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Arguably two of the best drives from Fernando Alonso came in the wet weather this season.
The first was the podium in Monaco where he possibly had a chance to win but the strategy compromised him a little.
The second was the podium in Zandvoort in arguably one of the best drives of the season where he possibly had a car slower than the McLaren and Mercedes driven by the competition.
Alonso made it a point this season to show everyone that he'd still not lost his guile and race craft especially when the weather played spoilsport.
#1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
It's hard to look beyond Max Verstappen when it comes to wet weather races because he's truly set himself apart from the rest of the field in these conditions.
When you have a car as dominant as the one Verstappen had under him, there is almost a tendency to play it a little safe.
Not from Verstappen as he not only won every wet race but also dominated from the front. Akin to many other lists this season, the Dutchman tops this one as well.
