Ferrari’s inability to win a wet-weather Formula 1 race has now stretched to 14 years, with the disappointing Brazilian Grand Prix providing another reminder of a weakness that has persisted across several generations of drivers. Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc could overcome the team’s difficulties at Interlagos, where tyre temperature problems once again undermined hopes of making significant progress.
For a team whose history includes memorable victories in challenging conditions, the statistics make uncomfortable reading. Fernando Alonso remains the last Ferrari driver to have won a rain-affected Grand Prix, having triumphed in Malaysia in 2012. Michael Schumacher’s victory in China in 2006 is still among the Scuderia’s three most recent wet-weather successes, underlining how long the Italian team has been waiting to rediscover that level of competitiveness.
Ferrari’s wet-weather struggles continue at the Brazilian Grand Prix
Rain is often regarded as an opportunity for Formula 1 drivers to overcome the limitations of their machinery. Unpredictable grip levels, changing track conditions and the importance of driver confidence can disrupt the usual competitive order, raising hopes that an uncompetitive car might suddenly become capable of challenging faster rivals.
For Ferrari, however, those expectations have repeatedly ended in frustration. Rather than providing an opportunity to close the gap, wet conditions have frequently exposed existing weaknesses, leaving the team unable to capitalise on the circumstances.
The Brazilian Grand Prix offered another example. Starting outside the top ten, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were not considered serious contenders for victory, but there were still expectations that the Ferrari pair could achieve considerably more during the race.
Instead, both drivers encountered difficulties bringing their tyres into the correct operating temperature range. The resulting lack of performance restricted their ability to recover positions, turning what might have been an opportunity to make progress into another disappointing weekend for the Maranello outfit.
Those difficulties were central to Ferrari’s broader performance problems at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where the team’s inability to extract sufficient performance from the SF-26 was already evident before race strategy could make a meaningful difference.
Fernando Alonso remains Ferrari’s last wet-weather F1 winner
To find Ferrari’s most recent victory in a wet Formula 1 race, it is necessary to return to the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, where Fernando Alonso secured a memorable success for the Italian manufacturer.
The Spaniard’s years with Ferrari included two seasons in which he remained in contention for the World Championship until the final race. Those campaigns came in 2010 and 2012, and both featured victories in wet conditions.
In 2010, Fernando Alonso won the rain-affected Korean Grand Prix, demonstrating his ability to perform in demanding circumstances while fighting for the championship. Two years later, his Malaysian Grand Prix triumph provided another important result during his pursuit of the world title.
That victory at Sepang remains Ferrari’s most recent wet-weather success. Despite changes in regulations, car designs and driver line-ups, the team has been unable to repeat the achievement over the following 14 years.
The significance of that gap becomes particularly apparent when considering the calibre of drivers who have represented the Prancing Horse since then. Even with established race winners and world champions behind the wheel, Ferrari has not managed to return to the top step of the podium in similar conditions.
Michael Schumacher’s 2006 Chinese GP victory still among Ferrari’s most recent wet-weather wins
Ferrari’s struggles become even more striking when looking further back through its history. Michael Schumacher’s victory at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix remains the team’s third-most recent win in wet conditions, despite having taken place two decades ago.
The seven-time world champion delivered that success during his final season with Ferrari, adding another memorable achievement to his remarkable career with the Italian manufacturer.
Only Fernando Alonso’s victories in South Korea in 2010 and Malaysia in 2012 have subsequently added to Ferrari’s record of wet-weather wins.
The historical contrast illustrates the scale of the current drought. Ferrari once had drivers capable of turning difficult weather conditions into winning opportunities, but similar circumstances have not delivered the same rewards in more recent seasons.
The achievements of Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher also remain important reference points in Ferrari’s wider history, which can be explored through the team’s Formula 1 driver records and career statistics.
Why Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been unable to end Ferrari’s wet-weather drought
Since Fernando Alonso’s last rain-affected victory for Ferrari, several prominent drivers have attempted to restore the team’s competitiveness in challenging conditions. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen were unable to add another wet-weather triumph during their time at Maranello, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have also failed to end the sequence.
The fact that such experienced and accomplished drivers have been unable to break the drought points towards a broader challenge for the Italian outfit. Driver skill remains especially important when grip levels are unpredictable, but extracting sufficient performance from the car is still essential.
At Interlagos, the difficulties experienced by Hamilton and Leclerc demonstrated how problems with tyre temperatures can restrict a driver’s ability to attack. Without the tyres operating effectively, opportunities created by changing conditions become considerably harder to exploit.
Ferrari’s tyre-related difficulties were also reflected in the team’s tyre pressure decisions at Interlagos, which formed another important part of its complicated Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
For Ferrari, the challenge extends beyond finding an occasional improvement in wet conditions. The team must first establish a consistently competitive technical package capable of challenging its strongest opponents across different circuits and circumstances.
Ferrari must recover its overall competitiveness before ending the 14-year drought
The central problem is not simply that Ferrari has struggled whenever rain arrives. Its failure to win in wet conditions reflects a longer period in which the team has been unable to establish the consistent strength required to fight regularly at the front.
A change in the weather cannot automatically compensate for weaknesses in the car. Although unusual conditions may occasionally create opportunities, those opportunities are difficult to exploit when the underlying performance is insufficient.
That is why Ferrari’s path back to winning in the rain is closely connected to its broader ambitions in Formula 1. Improving the car’s competitiveness in dry conditions, addressing persistent weaknesses and becoming a genuine threat to its rivals are the foundations on which stronger wet-weather performances can also be built.
For Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the Brazilian Grand Prix represented another missed opportunity to challenge the limitations of their machinery. For Ferrari, it extended an unwanted historical record that now stretches from Fernando Alonso’s Malaysian triumph in 2012 to the present day.
Until the Scuderia can regularly compete for victories regardless of track conditions, the prospect of ending its long wait for another wet-weather success will remain closely tied to its overall recovery.
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