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How does the weather impact F1 teams and drivers?
With the Austrian Grand Prix set to be run in scorching heatwave conditions, here's a look at what teams like Oracle Red Bull Racing do to ensure they stay ahead of the weather.
As Formula 1 heads to Austria amid a heatwave, teams are preparing for one of the sport's most unpredictable variables: the weather. Temperature, humidity and wind can all have a dramatic impact on tyre wear, so teams use everything from advanced meteorological tools, including satellites and on-site radar, to the simple act of looking out the window. In 2026, F1 risks thunderstorms (Miami), intense humidity (Singapore), heat (Qatar), rain (Silverstone, Spa and Canada) and more.
It's vital for the drivers and teams to be ready for any type of weather that may greet them. Here's a closer look at how the weather shapes every aspect of Formula One.
01
Warm and dry
It’s always sunny in Formula One. That’s because an F1 car is designed to go very fast in a straight line and around corners. It does this using the tyres to generate mechanical and aerodynamic grip to channel the power of the engine onto the circuit and push the car forward. A quick look at the calendar underlines that the best conditions to do that are in the warmth of a dry summer.
This is why the season starts in the Middle East in March, before it gets too hot, then jets off to Australia, China and Japan, spends the summer in Europe and heads to the Americas in October and November before returning to the Middle East in winter.
F1 cars are designed to race on a smooth, clean surface
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The optimal surface for F1 is a smooth, modern Grand Prix circuit like Sakhir, the Circuit of the Americas and Austria's Red Bull Ring. But unusual weather is a big unknown factor – and that’s when things become unpredictable and exciting.
02
Hot and cold
Threatening skies over the Red Bull Ring
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In F1 history, race weekend temperatures have ranged from 5°C to 42.5°C. The rule of thumb is that the hotter the day, the less grip there is on the track. This is because F1 tyres are already heated when put on to the cars and generate more heat as they run on the track, so when a track’s surface is also really hot, it can cause the tyres to overheat and wear out much faster.
F1 cars normally run on slick tyres – smooth tyres that provide the maximum contact with the racing surface – and these need to be brought up to their optimal operating temperature of 100ºC where the rubber softens and connects with the track. The tyre maker Pirelli provides tyres for each race in a variety of soft to hard compounds suited to the surface and anticipated temperature. There are six types of tyre – the hardest C0 to the softest C5 – and all have a limited lifespan, meaning the teams must pit to use up the tyre allocation.
If it is cold, the tyres will last longer but not perform as well, or if it is too hot, they deteriorate more quickly, potentially forcing another pit stop. It’s down to the team and driver to figure out which is the best tyre and how to use them, but as a rule of thumb, you’d use a hard tyre in hot weather and on an abrasive track like Bahrain and super softs on a smooth street circuit like Monaco.
Full wets: Max Verstappen in torrential rain in Brazil 2024
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03
The wet
Racing in the wet is one of the toughest challenges in F1 and drivers who are quick in the wet are particularly skilled. F1’s rain meister Max Verstappen has proven his ability in the wet time and again, especially at Interlagos in São Paulo. In 2016, as a teenager, he was exhilarating racing through the wet to the front, only to lose places to replace worn out tyres and then push from P16 to third in just 14 laps. In 2024, in perhaps Verstappen’s greatest drive, he made his way from 17th place to the top step in biblical Brazilian rain.
When it rains, the water prevents the tyres from connecting with the road surface, which is where you might see an F1 car aquaplaning off the track. That's when the drivers will switch to grooved tyres which channel the water away and allow the wheels to grip. There’s two types: the Intermediate tyre, distinguished by the green band on the side, and the Wet, with its blue walls for racing in heavy rain or where there’s standing water.
Spotless, shiny slicks ready to go for a dry race on Isack Hadjar's car
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Intermediate tyres on Max Verstappen's car. The difference is striking
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But grip is only part of the problem. There’s also reduced visibility – not only for cars on a clear section of track – but for anyone trying to pass in the backwash of spray thrown up by an F1 car. The new ground-effect cars are designed to reduce spray, but overtaking in the wet is a massive challenge.
Helmets are fitted with visors that are water-resistant and have a special coating to ensure that rainwater doesn't soak into the them. The visors also protect drivers from any optical or facial damage from flying debris.
Max Verstappen throws up a huge wake of spray down Suzuka's main straight
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04
Intermittent rain
F1 races can be sodden affairs one weekend...
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... a sun-baked scorcher the next. This is a real technical test for teams
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Biblically heavy rain is a massive challenge, and in extreme circumstances might lead to a race being red-flagged – but occasional rain also poses a significant test. As the rain eases or the track begins to dry, drivers and teams need to judge when to pit onto a new tyre – wets, intermediates or slicks. Make the right choice during the crossover phase and your driver will make significant gains on track. This is when the strategist will present options, but it comes down to the judgement of the team on the pit wall and the driver’s input.
Crossover phase: Max Verstappen moves from inters to slicks
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At the Canadian Grand Prix in 2024, Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg leapt up the field by starting on wets while the rest of the grid were on inters. Max Verstappen started P2 but passed pole sitter George Russell in the first phase of the Grand Prix. But Lando Norris got the jump on the Dutchman by pitting early, only for Verstappen to retake the lead with a timely stop of his own behind the Safety Car, charging to the end to take his 60th win in F1.
But it was Norris who came out on top at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, as unpredictable rain wreaked havoc at Albert Park as the new season started with a flurry of crashes.
Heat shimmers: How hot is it inside the cockpit of an F1 car?
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Fast facts… Why does it get hot inside the cockpit of an F1 car?
- The engine is behind the cockpit and generates massive heat.
- The brakes produce heat up to 1,000°C.
- The aerodynamic design of the car actually directs heat into the cockpit.
- There is a lack of airflow inside the cockpit itself.
05
Humidity
Singapore is an outlier for humidity, but remains one of the toughest challenges on the F1 calendar. While the cars aren’t particularly bothered by heat and humidity, it takes its toll on the other key component: the drivers. In a typical Singapore Grand Prix drivers lose 3-4kg in body weight – that’s about four litres of sweat.
Tight and twisty Singapore is a huge physical test for drivers
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Max Verstappen wears a pack of electrolytes
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Super Max: Racing at altitude is more exhausting for the drivers
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The team fill the RB19 with dry ice to keep it cool
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The temperature inside the cockpit is around 60ºC – which is almost as hot as a sauna and Marina Bay Street Circuit is one of the toughest out there: its 23 corners – the most on the calendar – cascade onto the drivers and the long straight only provides a short amount of breathing space. In short, the Singapore Grand Prix is like boxing for two hours in a sauna, perched on a roller coaster.
06
Extreme heat
Night races like Singapore and Las Vegas allow F1 to compete in desert climates after the sun has set, but even then the Saudi Arabian and Qatar Grands Prix have seen drivers wilting in extreme temperatures. At Lusail in 2023, even racing at night, the heat was so bad that Logan Sargeant retired due to heat exhaustion, Esteban Ocon was sick in his helmet and Fernando Alonso burnt his bum. Lance Stroll said he briefly passed out at the wheel. This was all overshadowed by Max Verstappen wrapping up his third consecutive F1 World Championship.
Max Verstappen on slippery sand at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix
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Sandstorms bring chaos to F1 testing in 2021
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Sand
Sand is very bad for F1. It creates a slippery surface, clogs air intakes and is generally unpleasant for drivers. The only Moroccan Grand Prix was one of the most deadly, even for incautious early F1. High coastal winds at Zandvoort saw Max Verstappen experience a wild side of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, while floods spread more of the gritty stuff across the track. Perhaps the most extreme was when a sandstorm brought pre-season testing to a halt in Bahrain. Luckily this was 2021 and everyone was already wearing masks.
Flags on the grandstand show very strong winds at Zandvoort
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07
The wind
Wind is actually one of the most underestimated challenges during an F1 race. This is due to the fact that modern F1 cars rely so heavily on aerodynamics, meaning changes in wind speed or direction can dramatically affect the car's ability to grip the track and remain balanced. Crosswinds can be particularly tricky, unsettling cars through high-speed corners and forcing drivers to adapt their lines.
Teams closely monitor wind conditions throughout a race weekend, as even small changes can alter how a car behaves. For instance, a setup that works perfectly in one session may feel completely different when the wind shifts, making this force of nature a constant factor in strategy and performance.
Low visibility from spray and gusting winds make Zandvoort a tough circuit
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08
High altitude
At 2.2km above sea level, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is the F1 outlier for racing at altitude. In Mexico City, air pressure is about 20 percent lower and air is 25 percent thinner than it is at a sea-level circuit like Miami or Saudi Arabia. That means the drivers are already physically working much harder before they’ve turned a wheel. The engine also has to work harder because it’s getting less oxygen to burn. While modern turbochargers compensate for much of the loss of power, the engine and brakes have less air to cool them, making them operate at higher temperatures.
Heat shimmers: Sainz and Verstappen race in the thin air of Mexico
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The teams will open up cooling ducts as much as possible to compensate. Another factor is that because there is less air for the car to push through, the drivers actually enjoy a boost of speed. But the payoff is the mechanical grip is reduced because fewer air particles are moving around the aerodynamic components. In other words, cars are quicker on the straights and slightly slower through the corners. This is why you’ll see cars running the maximum amount of wing to generate as much downforce as possible.
Cool running: Max Verstappen drives an F1 car down the Streif in Austria
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
09
Snow
The coldest race in F1 was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix, where Gilles Villeneuve won his home race in 5ºC, and while there have been hailstorms and sleet at the Red Bull Ring, snow isn’t going to be an issue. But in 2016 Max Verstappen drove an RB7 down the famous Streif run in Kitzbühel, Austria. That car had snow chains on the tyres for grip after Ice speedway-style spikes were found to be ineffective, the floor and suspension raised to their maximum height and the air ducts covered to stop the snow.
Even then, the front wing quickly clogged up on the first run out of the garage and the team returned to refill the antifreeze and coolants and tweak the set-up. In the end, Max and the team produced an astonishing show run that eight years on still amazes.
15 min
Max Verstappen’s F1 show run in the snow
Max Verstappen drives a Formula One car around an iconic ski hill in Austria.
