Who won the wettest F1 season in history?

Malt_Vinegar

Malt_Vinegar

Malt_Vinegar

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I was thinking this through the other day, and many drivers have been given "wet weather specialist" monikers, but who historically speaking won the F1 season with the highest % of races that were wet?

So, three questions in essense:
What year was the wettest
What % of the races were wet in that season
Who won the WDC that year?

Anyone have any ideas?
 
Err I only really know from '97 onwards and I wouldn't be 100% on these, but here goes:

1997: 2/17 - Monaco and Belgium (France was wet towards the end..) - Villeneuve
1998: 2/16 - Britain and Belgium (Argentina was damp at times, so not really wet) - Hakkinen
1999: 1/16 - European (France was wet later on in the race) - Hakkinen
2000: 4/17 - Europe, Canada, Belgium, Japan (Germany was wet at the end) - Schumacher
2001: 2/17 - Malaysia, Brazil - Schumacher
2002: 1/17 - Britain - Schumacher
2003: 2/16 - Brazil, USA - Schumacher
2004: 1/18 - Italy - Schumacher
2005: 1/19 - Belgium - Alonso
2006: 2/18 - Hungary, China - Alonso
2007: 3/17 - Europe, Japan, China - Raikkonen
2008: 4/18 - Monaco, Britain, Italy, Brazil (well, at the start and end) - Hamilton
2009: 1/17 - China - Button
 
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el_dazza said:
Err I only really know from '97 onwards and I wouldn't be 100% on these, but here goes:

1997: 2/17 - Monaco and Belgium (France was wet towards the end..) - Villeneuve
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And interestingly, Villeneuve won neither of those races. He was humiliated at Monaco by the Schumacher masterclass and the Williams team making the 'interesting' decision to start their cars on slicks and a dry setup, and comprehensively beaten by Schumacher again at Spa. I don't remember the French GP from that year but I've got the feeling that was won by Schumacher as well? Would have to check that.
 
He was humliated in France as well, nearly a whole minute behind Frentzen who was 23 second behind the winner, Schumacher.
 
el_dazza said:
He was humliated in France as well, nearly a whole minute behind Frentzen who was 23 second behind the winner, Schumacher.
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Cheers. So, backs up my feelings about Villeneuve then - great driver, but lousy in the wet :)
 
JRS said:
Cheers. So, backs up my feelings about Villeneuve then - great driver, but lousy in the wet :)
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Yeah he wasn't great. Austria '98 wasn't his best performance either - 11th in wet qualifying, finishing well behind Salo's Arrows, Alesi's Sauber, etc.
 
And '96 Spain, with a vastly superior car and still finishing way behind that pile of crap Ferrari sent Schumacher and Irvine out in. And Monaco that year, doing nothing of note until getting taken out by a Forti. And I'm pretty sure he dropped it at Interlagos as well, and that was soaking wet.
 
JRS said:
And '96 Spain, with a vastly superior car and still finishing way behind that pile of crap Ferrari sent Schumacher and Irvine out in. And Monaco that year, doing nothing of note until getting taken out by a Forti. And I'm pretty sure he dropped it at Interlagos as well, and that was soaking wet.
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I didn't start watching F1 until 1997.. mental image of Villeneuve getting wiped out by a mobile bogey chicane is quite amusing :D
 
el_dazza said:
I didn't start watching F1 until 1997.. mental image of Villeneuve getting wiped out by a mobile bogey chicane is quite amusing :D
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It was pretty funny actually. Think he was about 12th, trying to lap Badoer at Casino Square or Mirabeau, and just got clouted. Bust suspension was the inevitable result. Badoer's Forti continued on IIRC. Though to be honest, that race was a bit strange all around given that only three cars took the chequered flag!
 
1997: 2/17 - Monaco and Belgium - Schumacher and Schumacher
1998: 2/16 - Britain and Belgium - Schumacher and Hill
1999: 1/16 - European - Herbert
2000: 4/17 - Europe, Canada, Belgium, Japan - Schumacher, Schumacher, Hakkinen, Schumacher
2001: 2/17 - Malaysia, Brazil - Schumacher and Coulthard
2002: 1/17 - Britain - Schumacher
2003: 2/16 - Brazil, USA - Fisichella, Schumacher
2004: 1/18 - Italy - Barrichello
2005: 1/19 - Belgium - Raikkonen
2006: 2/18 - Hungary, China - Button, Schumacher
2007: 3/17 - Europe, Japan, China - Alonso, Hamilton, Raikkonen
2008: 4/18 - Monaco, Britain, Italy, Brazil (well, at the start and end) - Hamilton, Hamilton, Vettel, Massa
2009: 1/17 - China - Vettel*

* - Malaysia not included, race abandoned 3 laps after rain started falling.

So in those 13 seasons:

Schumacher : 10/17 (58.8%)
Hamilton : 3/8 (37.5%)
Vettel: 2/7 (28.6%)
Hill: 1/5 (20%)
Raikkonen: 2/15 (13.3%)
Herbert: 1/9 (11.1%)
Hakkinen: 1/11 (9.1%)
Massa: 1/13 (7.7%)
Alonso: 1/16 (6.6%)
Coulthard: 1/25 (4%)
Fisichella: 1/26 (3.8%)
Barrichello: 1/26 (3.8%)

Wettest years were 2000 (23.5% of races) and 2008 (22.2%).
 
Fantastic work on the stats!

Thanks for that! Very interesting results. Schumacher top of the list, as with soooo many F1 stats!

Interesting to see Hamilton right up there too. I wonder if he will top the Schumacher stats!
 
Which was the race last year that Button won that was red flagged because it was so dangerous to continue?

Guess it was Malaysia - still a wet race, probably a lot harder to win that one (even stay on the track) than someo of the other "wet " races mentioned previously, and I could have sworn Race Control gave it more than 3 laps
 
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FrankJH said:
Which was the race last year that Button won that was red flagged because it was so dangerous to continue?

Guess it was Malaysia - still a wet race, probably a lot harder to win that one (even stay on the track) than someo of the other "wet " races mentioned previously, and I could have sworn Race Control gave it more than 3 laps
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Malaysia as you rightly guessed. :)
 
FrankJH said:
Which was the race last year that Button won that was red flagged because it was so dangerous to continue?

Guess it was Malaysia - still a wet race, probably a lot harder to win that one (even stay on the track) than someo of the other "wet " races mentioned previously, and I could have sworn Race Control gave it more than 3 laps
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I didn't include it as it wasn't really a "race" as such. There was no competition in the wet - once it came down, it came down HARD and that was the end of the race. No real strategy or racing as such involved, hence the omission.
 
utajoker said:
next stat required, how many 360's has massa completed during wet races :)
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Would that be the same Massa who made a perfect getaway at Melbourne in the wet when all around him were lighting up their tyres and going backwards? :)
 
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