Why Verstappen excels in wet conditions

Max Verstappen charged from 21st to second in the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, a race in which he had also won from 17th in 2024. He also passed Nico Rosberg around the outside on his way to the podium in 2016.

The feature examines how Verstappen finds grip when rivals struggle for it, looking back to his karting days, when his father Jos made him stay out in the rain even on slick tyres. It also covers how he finds grip away from the usual racing line, how he controls his Red Bull at the limit, and why rivals struggle to copy his lines in the wet.

The piece also compares Verstappen with Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, two of Formula 1's greatest wet-weather drivers.