Max Verstappen recognizes the perils of racing in the wet, but the two-time world champion says it would be "a shame" if F1 takes its cue from NASCAR and opts not to race on rainy days.
Wet weather racing adds an additional layer of strategy and skill, as drivers need to adapt to changing conditions and teams need to make decisions regarding tyre choices and pit stops.
Rain can create exciting and unpredictable races, and it's often considered part of the challenge and allure of Formula 1.
But the dangers of racing on a rainy day were once again tragically driven home last month at Spa.
In a round of the Formula Regional series, a lack of visibility on the final lap of the race caused a multi-car collision on the Kemmel straight, with 19-year-old Dutch racer Dilano van 't Hof suffering a fatal crash.
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Also, during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Alpine's Pierre Gasly admitted to not "feeling safe" in Saturday's sprint event due to the massive amount of spray thrown up by the cars in the wet conditions.
Recently, Formula 1 tested at Silverstone a wet weather wheel arch specially developed to significantly reduce spray. However, the test was reportedly inconclusive in its results.
Verstappen reckons that the issues and risks of racing in rainy conditions are something that Formula 1 just needs to live with.
"It's very difficult to solve these things. You will always suffer from it, and you will always have spray," Verstappen said in Spa after winning the event's sprint race.
"Wheel covers on a Formula 1 car won't make a big difference. The safety car also gave too much spray towards me. On the motorway you actually have the same problem."
As far as the championship leader is concerned, he would rather face the challenges and hazards of racing in the rain than not race at all, as is the case for NASCAR, although the US series is considering introducing wet weather tyres for some of its races held in damp conditions on some of the lower-speed ovals.
"When I used to drive Formula 3 and was in the midfield sometimes, I couldn't see anything either," Verstappen recalled.
"It's always been like that. Just ask the older drivers in F1 too, they didn't see anything either.
"Of course, certain accidents happen that have a bad outcome and then people naturally start to talk about it more. But if you look at it that way, you can't really race in the rain any more because there will always be problems with visibility.
"That would be a shame. Then it becomes like NASCAR, they don't drive in the rain either."
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