The chances of rain for the Australian Grand Prix have increased from 64% to 91%, and Verstappen is doing the rain dance.
The 2025 Formula 1 season could start under the rain, and right now, the chances are looking very high. According to the latest information, the chances of precipitation for the Melbourne race have risen from 64% to 91%, while Friday and Saturday are expected to have sunny weather. But when was the last time the season opener started with rain?
To find a season start under rain, we have to go back to 1993, when in South Africa, at the Kyalami circuit, Alain Prost won in a downpour ahead of Ayrton Senna and Mark Blundell. In Formula 1 history, there are only two other season openers under rain: the first took place at Bremgarten for the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix, and the second in Buenos Aires for the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix, with both wins claimed by Juan Manuel Fangio.
As for Sunday’s race, some drivers are doing the rain dance, and there’s no doubt that the first one is Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion has repeatedly stated that he cannot compete on equal terms with McLaren drivers, at least in this season’s early stages, and rain could shuffle the deck, giving us a crazy race.
Lewis Hamilton, for his part, could also be hoping for a wet race due to his skill in different conditions. The seven-time world champion secured his first of two wins last season at Silverstone, in mixed wet/dry conditions. At the moment, the two McLaren drivers would prefer to avoid the rain, given the strength of the Papaya Team’s race pace.