Formula 1 has yet to hold a wet session or race under its 2026 technical regulations, even as the season reaches its 16th round. Pierre Gasly says the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia may be the most favourable venue on the calendar for a rain-affected race, while Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra says the circuit could provide useful tyre data from all teams and drivers.

Rain has threatened at several events this season, but it has not affected the on-track action. The lack of wet running has left teams and tyre supplier Pirelli without race conditions in which to assess the new regulations, while drivers continue to raise safety concerns despite changes made by the FIA.

Those changes followed initial worries about driving in the wet. They include raising tyre blanket temperatures for intermediate tyres, limiting electrical power and banning boost mode in wet conditions, a measure related to the power cap.

Tyre performance remains another concern. Several drivers have reported difficulty getting intermediate tyres up to temperature and then keeping them there. Pirelli was keen to see a wet race in Miami, where warmer ambient temperatures offered a different set of conditions from Montreal.

A possible wet race in Montreal was described as “the perfect storm” because of the cold and the circuit’s low-energy layout, which makes it difficult to bring tyres up to temperature. McLaren started on intermediates in Canada, but that proved to be the wrong choice when further rain did not arrive.

Gasly said Sepang’s characteristics could make wet conditions more manageable than at some other circuits. “I think out of any track in the season, if one is good for wet, it's probably here,” he told Autosport when asked about the possibility of a rain-affected event.

He contrasted Malaysia with Las Vegas, where very cold conditions could make a wet race harder. “If you'll ask me about Vegas in crazy cold conditions and, well, it still could happen there, but then it is definitely going to be more tricky,” Gasly said.

At Sepang, Gasly pointed to the heat, rough asphalt and changes in elevation. “But here the track is really rough, it's really hot and there's a bit of elevation change as well, so it should be pretty good to clear the track in terms of water quantity. So I think it will be fine.”

The Alpine driver’s own experience of the 2026 car in the wet has been limited to conditions he considers unlike those likely in Malaysia. “The only time I tried was in January at Silverstone, which was horrendous. And then in Magny-Cours with extremely cold conditions, which didn't feel good at all. But I expect it to be in a much better place here.”

Berra also views Sepang as a particularly useful place to gather evidence about the wet-weather tyres. He said feedback from ordinary running with all the teams and drivers would complement information from dedicated tests. “I would like to gather some information because it's good to have feedback, not just from our tests, but also from normal running with all the teams and all the drivers,” Berra told Autosport.

“Honestly, as an engineer, I would like to have some more feedback and data to work with. And, yes, this is the perfect circuit to have rain,” he said. Berra recalled his earlier assessment of Montreal: “When we went to Montreal, I said it would be the perfect storm because it was cold with a low-energy circuit, but here it's a completely different story.”

The tyre risk in Malaysia may be the reverse of the challenge expected in Canada. Instead of struggling to generate heat in cold conditions, drivers could face tyres overheating because of the high temperatures and rough track surface, particularly if rain stops and the circuit dries quickly.

“The point is that we could end up in a situation where you generate overheating, especially if it's raining and then dries up quite quickly”, Berra said. “So the overheating effect could be important.”

Pirelli also expects teams may rely more on full-wet tyres at Sepang than they typically do. Teams generally prefer intermediates, but heavy rainfall at the circuit near Kuala Lumpur can leave enough standing water to make the full-wet tyre a more suitable race option.

“When it rains here, it's quite massive and I would see the full wet as the preferred race tyre,” Berra said. “That is probably for once, because we know that usually teams prefer the intermediates. But we also know that here it's often like a monsoon and you need to have proper water dissipation for that.”

He said the tyres could still overheat quickly, but deep standing water could make them effective. “But let's first see if it's going to rain or not, because this is probably the first year that we are at round 16 without rain! But if it comes, then I think the full wet is not to be discarded, despite that tyre overheating very quickly. With a high level of standing water, I think it would work quite well.”

Drivers have continued to express safety concerns after the FIA’s regulatory adjustments. Isack Hadjar called wet conditions “dangerous,” while Gasly’s view that Sepang could be among the easier circuits for a wet race reflects a broader sentiment in the paddock. Whether the circuit will provide that opportunity remains uncertain, as F1 waits for rain to affect a session or race under the new rules.

Based on reporting by Autosport.