The declining use of full wet tyres in F1: why is that?

Formula 1's full wet tyres (extreme wets) have become a rarity on track in recent years, even during heavy rain. At the 2025 British Grand Prix, despite torrential downpours, drivers spent very little time on the blue-marked full wets -- quickly switching to green intermediates once racing began. This trend isn't a one-off; it reflects a broader shift in how teams approach F1 wet tyres. In this article, we'll explore the technical design of rain tyres (water displacement, tread depth, operating temperatures), their intended purpose, and why modern F1 drivers and teams prefer intermediates even in heavy rain. We'll also look at how past decades saw more extensive wet-tyre usage, and how changes in car design, race control decisions, and safety protocols have reduced the role of full wets in today's Formula 1. The 2025 British GP serves as a case study of this phenomenon. Finally, we'll analyze recent comments from drivers/teams about the "pointless" wet tyre performance and discuss what needs to change to make full wets relevant again.

Technical design: how Full Wet and Intermediate tyres work

In wet conditions, F1 teams choose between two Pirelli Cinturato rain tyre compounds: the intermediate (green) and the full wet (blue). Both are treaded (grooved) tyres designed to disperse water and prevent aquaplaning, but they differ in tread depth, pattern, and optimal usage range:

• Intermediate Tyres (Green): These are the most versatile rain tyres, meant for light rain, damp tracks, or a drying surface. An intermediate has a tread groove depth of roughly 3 mm, and can cope with up to about 2 mm of standing water on track. At 300 km/h, one intermediate tyre can channel away ~30 liters of water per second, giving decent grip in moderate wetness. The compound is soft (so it can reach operating temperature in cool, wet conditions) and designed for a broad working range to overlap with both slicks and full wets. Intermediates perform best when the track is wet but without deep puddles -- they maintain more contact patch than full wets, which helps on drying lines.

• Full Wet Tyres (Blue): The "extreme" wet tyres are designed for heavy rain and standing water. They have a deeper tread of about 5 mm, with a more aggressive, open tread pattern (including a central groove and big channels) to evacuate maximum water. Full wets can handle ~5 mm or more of standing water. At 300 km/h, a Pirelli full wet tyre can disperse an impressive 85 liters of water per second -- nearly three times more than an intermediate. This high water clearance comes from the deeper grooves and a special profile to resist aquaplaning. The trade-off is that full wets have less rubber in contact with the track, which reduces dry or damp grip and makes them slower on anything other than extreme rain. Full wets also tend to run at lower temperatures; they're formulated to heat up quickly without tyre blankets (Pirelli even introduced a new full wet compound in 2023 that no longer requires pre-heating). Notably, a full wet tyre is slightly larger in diameter (~10 mm greater) than a slick tyre, effectively raising the car's ride height a bit -- this helps mitigate aquaplaning but can alter the car's handling and aero.

In summary, full wets are intended to be the ultimate rain tyres -- their deep tread and water-churning capacity give grip in conditions that would overwhelm intermediates with aquaplaning. Intermediates, on the other hand, are a compromise for mixed conditions: they still clear a good amount of water but have more surface area for grip when the track isn't fully flooded. Under the original design intent, when rain intensifies beyond a certain point (the crossover threshold), teams should move from inters to full wets to maintain safety and lap time. However, in practice, that ideal crossover is rarely seen today.

Full Wets vs Intermediates: why teams prefer Intermediates in rain conditions

Despite full wets being theoretically safer and faster in heavy rain, modern F1 drivers overwhelmingly avoid them in favor of intermediates at the first opportunity. The performance delta between the two tyres is a key factor. Drivers report that the full wet is significantly slower -- on the order of 6 to 7 seconds per lap slower than the intermediate tyre. "The extreme wet tyre is a pretty pointless tyre... really, really bad. It's probably six, seven seconds a lap slower than the intermediate," Mercedes driver George Russell said bluntly after a wet race. He noted that you'd only want the full wet if the intermediates are completely uncontrollable due to aquaplaning, so "that [full wet] needs to be substantially improved" to justify using it.

This stark pace disadvantage means that as soon as the track is driveable at all, teams gain a huge advantage by switching to inters. The intermediate's greater rubber contact and softer compound can find more grip on a drying or merely damp surface, allowing much quicker lap times. As a result, drivers will push the intermediate tyre into conditions that are very wet, because the lap time gain outweighs the risk. In a telling example, during the 2023 Belgian GP Sprint Race, the race started behind the Safety Car on mandatory full wets due to a downpour -- yet "half of the field pitted to get rid of the wets" at the first opportunity, with the others following one lap later, all switching straight to inters. The track was still wet with plenty of spray, but everyone knew the intermediates would be much faster once they could race. This has led to the joking nickname of the blue tyres as "safety car tyres" -- since full wets only seem to appear when laps are neutralized.

Another issue is temperature and wear. Full wets are prone to overheating or degrading quickly if the rain eases even slightly. Fernando Alonso observed that on the current Pirelli full wets, "even behind the safety car they were overheating". An overheated wet loses what little grip it has, essentially becoming useless. Intermediates, while also delicate on a drying track, can be nursed for longer and can even be treated like a "grooved slick" as the tread wears down. Drivers often prefer to stay on a heavily worn intermediate (or pit for a fresh inter) rather than bolt on a full wet and suffer poor pace. For instance, Lando Norris in the 2025 British GP chose to pit for a second set of intermediates when a new band of rain hit, instead of switching to wets. He admitted it was "increasingly difficult to keep the car on track" as aquaplaning set in, but the team never considered the extreme wets -- they just gave Norris fresh inters to finish the job. This underscores the confidence teams have in the intermediate tyre's range, and the lack of faith in the full wet's benefit.

Visibility and FIA protocols also play a role. In recent years, if conditions are wet enough to truly require full wets, they are often deemed too dangerous to race at speed because of spray and low visibility. The race director will invoke a Safety Car or even a red flag until conditions improve. That means drivers rarely get to actually race in the monsoon-like conditions full wets are made for. As Pirelli's F1 boss Mario Isola observed, if full-wet conditions always trigger caution periods, the tyres "are 'safety car tyres'... if the full wet tyre is used only behind the safety car, I agree with drivers that, at the moment, it is a useless tyre". In other words, the full wet has no window of real use: whenever it's wet enough to need them, the cars aren't allowed to run at racing speeds; and once they can race, intermediates suffice and are faster. Drivers echo this: Charles Leclerc said whenever it's driveable we go on inters -- the extreme wets are only good for conditions so bad that "we never drive in those conditions because of visibility". His suggestion was that the extreme wet tyre needs to be faster and closer in performance to the inter, so that it becomes the normal tyre to use in the rain (instead of everyone jumping to the inters).

Wet tyres in the 1990s and 2000s vs today

This preference for intermediates is a marked change from past eras. In the 1990s and 2000s, F1 frequently ran full wet tyres in anger, and legendary "rainmaster" drives came in truly soaked races. Back then, race control was generally more willing to let races run under very wet conditions -- and the tyres from suppliers like Goodyear, Bridgestone, or Michelin rose to the challenge. For example, the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix and 2008 British Grand Prix were torrentially wet races where drivers stayed out on extreme wets for long stints and mastered the conditions. (Norris actually cited the 2008 Silverstone race -- where Lewis Hamilton dominated in the rain by over a minute -- as an "extremely wet" race he watched as a kid.)

In the 2007 Japanese GP at Fuji, drivers raced through a deluge for most of the race, with visibility so poor that some compared it to the worst of today -- yet the full wet tyres (Bridgestone monsoon tyres at that time) allowed them to continue, and the race ran its course. George Russell recalled watching onboard videos of 2007 Fuji with Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica battling through "so much water but they were still pushing flat out". He also noted that in junior formulas he raced (like Formula 3 on Michelin or Formula Renault on Hankook), aquaplaning "wasn't really a thing" -- implying those wet tyres provided sufficient grip in heavy rain.

Several factors have changed since those days, reducing the role of full wets:

• Car Design and Aerodynamics: Today's F1 cars produce massive plumes of spray due to their aerodynamic configurations. The switch to ground-effect venturi floors in 2022, along with wider tyres (18-inch wheels and 305--405 mm tyre widths), has arguably made spray worse. The cars' floors and diffusers eject water high into the air; as veteran Nico Hülkenberg observed, "these ground-effect cars have made it [spray] worse. I've never known it to be that bad". In essence, modern cars turn into hydroplanes that kick up a "cloud" of water vapor behind them, severely limiting visibility for those behind. Even if full wet tyres can handle the water on the road, they cannot mitigate this spray -- and visibility, not grip, often becomes the limiting factor for safety. Drivers like Daniel Ricciardo have said that a decade or so ago, "we raced in these conditions" but now the spray is so extreme that by fourth gear you're essentially driving blind. This puts pressure on the FIA to intervene sooner.

• Safety Protocols and Caution: After some tragic and near-tragic incidents in wet races, Formula 1 officials have become more cautious. The fatal accident of Jules Bianchi in wet conditions in 2014 and more recently the 2021 Spa-Francorchamps washout (where no green-flag laps were completed due to incessant rain) highlighted the dangers of poor visibility and waterlogged tracks. Now, race control typically delays starts, deploys the Safety Car, or halts the race if rain intensifies to the point of standing water. For instance, at Spa 2021 the race was red-flagged and eventually abandoned after only a few laps behind the safety car because visibility was deemed too poor to continue. In such scenarios, the full wet tyres might be fitted to the cars circulating behind the Safety Car, but no one gets to race on them. By the time a race is green-flagged, conditions are usually improved enough for intermediates. The 2023 Spa Sprint Race is a perfect example: race control waited out a heavy shower by doing five Safety Car laps (with all cars on wets to clear water), and then immediately once the rolling start was given, teams ditched the full wets because the track was borderline inter-ready. Modern F1 also mandates that if a race start is behind the Safety Car due to heavy rain, all cars must be on full wet tyres -- but this often just means they'll do a few formation laps on those wets and then switch off them as soon as they can, as happened at Spa.

• Tyre Characteristics: Some veteran observers feel that previous generations of wet tyres were more effective relative to the cars. Bridgestone even had a dedicated "monsoon" tyre in the early 2000s for extreme rain. Pirelli, as the sole supplier since 2011, has faced criticism for the performance of its wet range. Drivers frequently describe the Pirelli full wet as not giving enough grip or confidence. Even in marginal conditions, drivers often gamble on intermediates because they simply don't trust the full wets to deliver lap time or to stay in their temperature window. Lewis Hamilton, after a wet race in 2020, famously called the Pirelli full wets "terrible... the worst" wet tyres he'd driven -- though Pirelli has since developed new iterations. The operating window of the full wet is narrow: if there isn't enough water, it overheats and grains; if there's running water, visibility halts running. Thus it's rarely the optimal choice.

The net result is a paradox: in past decades, full wet tyres were central to some of F1's most dramatic races, with drivers earning the "rain master" moniker by mastering their machines on extreme wets under torrential rain. Today, however, those scenarios scarcely happen -- either because the race is neutralized or because every driver is tiptoeing on intermediates instead. Wet-weather prowess is still valued, but it's often displayed in the intermediate-tire phase or in judging the perfect moment to swap tyres (as opposed to sheer car control on full monsoon rubber lap after lap).

Case study: 2025 British Grand Prix | Torrential rain, Intermediates reign

The 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone provides a vivid example of how full wets have been sidelined. The weather that Sunday was wildly variable -- from a damp start to mid-race downpours and a late sunny break. Yet despite some of the heaviest rain coming down mid-race, full wet tyres saw virtually no racing use in this GP.

At the start, the track was wet from earlier showers but not flooded. Teams almost universally chose the intermediate tyre to begin the race, expecting mixed conditions. In fact, every car was set to start on intermediates, with the exception of two bold drivers (George Russell and Charles Leclerc) who gambled by switching to slicks at the end of the formation lap -- a decision that backfired as the track was far too wet in places. Notably, no one started on full wets, indicating that conditions hadn't crossed the threshold requiring the extreme tyre.

As the race went on, rain ebbed and flowed. Early laps saw spray and a virtual safety car for some minor incidents, but intermediates remained the tyre of choice. Around lap 12, a heavier shower hit the circuit. Both McLaren drivers (Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris) pitted on lap 12 for fresh tyres, again opting for new intermediates. They did not consider a switch to wets, suggesting the conditions were still manageable on inters. Soon after, lap 14, the rain intensified significantly -- "the rain fell more heavily and conditions became more treacherous," as one report described it. Race Control deployed a full Safety Car at this point to group the field and wait out the worst of the downpour. During the safety car period (laps 14--17 or so), some teams briefly pondered tyre strategy. However, instead of seeing a flurry of blue wet tyres bolted on, most drivers either stayed on their existing inters or took the chance to pit for another set of inters if needed. There was no mass migration to full wets.

Once the Safety Car pulled in and racing resumed (lap 18/19 onward), the track was still very wet -- yet drivers immediately found pace on the intermediate tyres again. Lando Norris had "scary moments" fighting aquaplaning but managed on intermediates, as did his rivals. In fact, Norris later revealed that the team's strategic calls were centered around when to change intermediates or switch to slicks as the track evolved -- the full wet wasn't in the conversation. By lap 21, as the pack restarted, even remaining damp patches didn't stop drivers from pushing (Max Verstappen famously spun his Red Bull on the wet restart lap, but crucially he was on inters, as everyone was).

As the race progressed, the rain relented and the track began to dry. Teams then moved to slick tyres for the final phase, once again bypassing any use of full wets. The only time a full wet tyre might have touched the tarmac was behind the Safety Car (and even that is uncertain; teams may have kept inters on throughout since the SC pace was slow). A RaceFans commentary noted that yes, the rain was getting worse, but everyone was only on inters -- they all could have chosen wets if necessary, but nobody did. This perfectly encapsulates today's mindset: unless forced, teams won't fit the full wets.

The outcome at Silverstone 2025 was that, despite "wet and wild" weather and even moments of "torrential" rain, the race essentially used intermediates as the tire of choice in the wet, with full wets conspicuously unused in competitive running. The full wet tyres were essentially bystanders to the action, even in conditions that in earlier eras would have demanded their use. Drivers like Norris coped by slowing down when aquaplaning hit, rather than switching to the blue tyres that might have prevented that aquaplaning in the first place.

Drivers and teams on the "pointless" full Wet tyre

This situation has led to growing frustration among drivers, who have not minced words about the state of Pirelli's extreme wet tyre. As mentioned, George Russell was forthright, calling the full wet "pretty pointless" and "really bad". He highlighted that unless aquaplaning is utterly unbearable on intermediates, no one wants the full wets -- which implies the full wet needs a massive performance improvement to justify itself.

Charles Leclerc echoed that sentiment, essentially saying we shouldn't be running inters in the rain as default -- the fact that we do means the extreme tyre isn't doing its job. "The extreme [wet] should be faster and closer to the inters, so we run more on the extreme than the inters," Leclerc urged. Currently, the opposite is true: drivers jump off the extreme wet at the first chance because it's too slow.

Fernando Alonso's input adds another dimension: even when forced to use full wets (e.g. behind a Safety Car), they struggle. Alonso complained that under Safety Car pace, the wets overheated and even that low-speed running was problematic. This is damning -- if an extreme tyre overheats when not even at racing speed, how will it cope when pushing? It suggests the compound or design is still not right for operational flexibility.

Multiple drivers have essentially said the full wet tyre exists for conditions we can't race in. So long as visibility remains the limiting factor (not grip), the extreme wet is never truly utilized. Lance Stroll and other GPDA members have discussed whether F1 should even allow intermediates under Safety Car if full wets are just going to be thrown away immediately -- but that doesn't solve the core problem.

Teams, for their part, follow what's fastest for lap time. They know that an intermediate can be worth several seconds per lap over a full wet in borderline conditions. So strategy calculations make it clear: whenever possible, get the car onto the intermediate. As one commentator noted, teams won't "wait too long" on the slower tyre -- "waiting too long just means losing time to those who pitted earlier" for inters. Modern strategy algorithms are so good that no one wants to be caught on the wrong tyre for even a lap. This competitive pressure forces everyone onto the quicker tyre compound as soon as it's viable, which in wet races means a stampede to intermediates. In effect, teams treat full wets as a last resort, to be used only if absolutely mandated or if an intermediate would be outright dangerous. And given that race control often halts truly dangerous rain, teams rarely face that scenario in green-flag conditions.

FIA and Pirelli's struggle to improve Wet tyre performance

Both the FIA and Pirelli are well aware of the wet tyre conundrum and have been working on potential solutions -- though progress has been limited so far. Mario Isola of Pirelli has openly agreed with driver criticisms that the full wet is underperforming and underutilized. After the 2023 Spa weekend (which highlighted the issue dramatically), Isola admitted "we need to sit down... and decide what we want" regarding wet-weather approach. The core problem identified is the large performance gap (and poor crossover window) between the full wet and intermediate.

Pirelli has tried incremental improvements. In early 2023, they introduced a new full wet tyre compound and tread pattern mid-season (with agreement from teams) that was said to be 5 seconds per lap faster than the old wet and did not require pre-heating in blankets. Isola noted that during testing at Fiorano and Paul Ricard, the new wet showed much better warm-up and a big performance gain. All teams voted to approve this new wet tyre for use. However, once it faced real high-speed circuits like Spa and Silverstone, it became clear this step wasn't enough -- "maybe this performance is still not enough to generate the right crossover with the intermediate" Isola conceded. In other words, the wet is still too slow relative to the inter when it matters. Pirelli also found that the new wet worked well at low severity tracks (like Monaco or Fiorano testing) but "when you run on a real fast and high-severity circuit like Spa and maybe also Silverstone, then it lacks performance". The company has precious few opportunities to test wet tyres on fast tracks (logistically, they can mostly run wet tests on smaller circuits with water sprinklers), which hampers development.

One idea Pirelli floated is creating a new rain tyre category -- often dubbed a "super-intermediate" or intermediate-plus. This would essentially be a single wet-weather tyre that aims to cover the gap between today's inter and full wet. The thinking is, if F1 is never truly going to run in full-wet conditions due to visibility, then design a tyre that can handle everything from a damp track up to moderately heavy rain, eliminating the slow extreme wet. Isola explained that if the future approach is not to race in the worst rain (i.e. red flag when aquaplaning conditions and wait until it's better), then "in my opinion the best solution is probably to develop an intermediate tyre... that is more towards wet conditions," covering the whole range from when visibility is acceptable to the crossover with slicks. This "one product" approach could simplify things and ensure teams always have a competitive rain tyre to use in raceable conditions. In fact, developing such a tyre could also reduce the number of tyre sets Pirelli needs to bring (which has sustainability and logistics benefits).

On the other hand, if the FIA finds a way to enable running in full-wet conditions (e.g. through aero devices to reduce spray), then Pirelli would "have to keep the two products" (intermediate and full wet) and focus on improving the full wet's performance. The FIA has indeed been experimenting with solutions like wheel arch "spray guards" to cut down the mist thrown up by cars. Initial tests of prototype wheel covers took place in 2023, but as of mid-2025 this concept is not yet ready for implementation. If spray could be reduced, drivers might be able to race in heavier rain, finally giving full wet tyres a chance to do what they're meant for. In that scenario, Pirelli's task would be to further improve the full wet -- increase grip, maybe adjust tread pattern, etc., to ensure a better crossover and usability.

It's a delicate balance: Pirelli cannot simply make the wet tyre softer or grippier without other consequences. A much softer compound might overheat even more on a drying line. A more open tread (for more water clearing) might reduce the rubber contact too much and slow it further on parts of the track that are merely damp. As Isola noted, "we want to keep this overlay (overlap) between the two tyres... we don't want to take the risk that we move too much on one side or the other". Past tyre suppliers faced similar challenges -- Bridgestone's old monsoon tyre, for example, was very rarely used because whenever it was truly needed, there was a safety car or delay, and otherwise it was far slower than the intermediate.

For now, the FIA has also adjusted sporting rules to avoid some wet-weather pitfalls. They introduced an extra wet-tyre test session opportunity and even mandated additional wet tyre sets at some events to encourage running in practice (to gather data). In 2023, Pirelli also debuted blanket-less wets in race conditions (first used in Monaco 2023) -- a move aimed to make extreme wets more practical and ready to go without special preparation. While that helps on the logistics side (no warmers needed), it doesn't address the fundamental performance gap.

In essence, Pirelli and F1 are aware that the full wet tyre's viability is in question. Isola summed it up: If the full wet is only ever used behind the Safety Car, it is useless; so we must either change the tyre philosophy or change something about how we race in the rain. As of 2025, they are still grappling with this, trialing ideas like the super-intermediate and encouraging research into spray reduction.

What needs to change to make full Wets relevant again?

The decline of full wet tyre usage in Formula 1 is a multi-faceted problem. To make the blue-banded extreme wets relevant again, changes will likely be needed on several fronts:

• Improve Full Wet Performance: Pirelli will need to significantly close the gap in pace between the full wet and the intermediate. This could mean a new compound that generates more grip (even if that means sacrificing some longevity or increasing the working temperature range). The goal would be to have a smaller lap time difference so that teams don't lose 5+ seconds by choosing the safer full wet. Leclerc's idea of making the wet faster so it becomes the default rain tyre is apt. If the full wet were, say, only 2-3 seconds slower than an inter in medium wet conditions (instead of ~6 seconds), teams might actually run it when it's borderline. Pirelli's ongoing R&D, including the proposed "intermediate-plus," might yield a tyre that hits this sweet spot.

• Address Visibility -- "Raceability" in Heavy Rain: The FIA's work on reducing spray is crucial. If devices like wheel arches or other aero tweaks can materially cut down the rooster tails of water, then race directors may allow racing in wetter conditions than currently possible. This would create a genuine role for the full wet tyre -- giving drivers a chance to push in the rain rather than circulating slowly or waiting in the pits. Without solving the spray problem, even a much better wet tyre won't get used because drivers simply can't see. As things stand, drivers themselves support caution when visibility is near-zero ("the spray was still extreme... the FIA did the right thing" in holding the start, said Esteban Ocon after Spa's wet sprint ). So technology or rules that can keep spray down (perhaps mandating lower diffuser settings in wet, or the physical guards) could allow more green-flag laps on full wets.

• Revisit Wet Racing Protocols: F1 could consider adjusting the rules to encourage use of full wets. For instance, allowing teams to start on intermediates behind the safety car (to avoid the immediate pit-stop scenario) -- though this doesn't fix performance, it just avoids waste. Another idea floated by drivers like Russell is to have a few laps under green to clear water then neutralize if needed, but that's more about race management than tyres. Ultimately, if full wets are ever to be relevant, the sport must be willing to run in conditions that warrant them. That might mean accepting a bit more risk (with the help of any new safety measures) and not defaulting to a red flag at the slightest standing water. It's a tough balance of safety vs. spectacle.

• Continued Development and Testing: Pirelli has only limited wet testing days, but increasing those (or creating dedicated wet test sessions with current cars) could speed up tyre improvements. Perhaps testing in a variety of conditions -- not just a well-grooved test track but maybe a venue like Spa with artificial water -- could help fine-tune the compounds. The fact that Pirelli discovered a performance shortfall only "now" when comparing intermediate vs wet at Spa indicates they need more real-world data. For 2024 and 2025, Pirelli has planned to introduce blanket-less intermediates as well -- a sign they continue to evolve the rain tyres. This might indirectly improve how quickly a cold wet tyre can be brought in during a race.

In conclusion, to restore the relevance of full wet tyres, Formula 1 needs a two-pronged approach: build a better tyre and create conditions where it can be used. Either the full wet must evolve to suit the current realities (faster, more usable, a true racing tyre) or F1's approach to wet racing must adapt (through technical or regulatory changes) to give the full wet a purpose beyond the safety car. Otherwise, we will continue to see scenes like Silverstone 2025 -- monsoon-like rain, plumes of spray, and a pit lane full of unused blue tyres while the drivers soldier on with intermediates. The challenge is on Pirelli and the FIA to turn the full wet from a "pointless" accessory back into a valuable tool for racing -- so that in the future, rain-soaked F1 races can be about skill and bravery on proper rain tyres, not just strategic timing on intermediates. As fans, we cherish the drama of a true wet Grand Prix, and finding a way to race safely in heavy rain would make F1's spectacle even more complete.

Sources:

• Pirelli tyre technical data (water dispersion, tread depth) - Red Bull Racing

• Driver quotes on full wets vs inters (Russell, Leclerc, Alonso) - The Race [1] [2] [3]

• Mario Isola (Pirelli) on wet tyre performance and future plans - Motorsport.com

• Race reports and analysis of 2025 British GP and other wet races - Reuters, RaceFans.net, Autosport.com

• Historical context and driver recollections of past wet races - The Race, Autosport.com