Allan McNish could hardly believe his ears when I told him the weather in Aberdeen was resplendent yesterday at lunchtime.

Down at Silverstone, where McNish was acting as a pundit for Sky's Formula One coverage, the heavens were emptying their worst on the English circuit, with the forecast promising further apocalyptic conditions for the next 48 hours, through qualifying and the main action in the British Grand Prix.

As somebody who has competed in F1, twice won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and generally excelled in every form of motorsport, McNish appreciates that driving in the wet is an occupational hazard for those who ply their trade in the fast lane.

Yet the Dumfries-born driver believes that the gloomy forecast will have a significant bearing on how events unfold at Silverstone, in what has already been the most incident-packed and twist-laden campaign in recent history.

"There will be a high-risk factor around this race, because if you hit a bit of water the wrong way, you can end up crashing into a wall, and if you don't qualify in pole position, your vision will be impaired by the sheer amount of water on the track," said McNish, who has performed in these circumstances many times in the past, but admits it always adds an extra frisson to the drama.

"It could be something close to a lottery and I wouldn't be surprised if somebody emerged from the middle of the field if they can avoid trouble and just get their car around the circuit. I remember the last occasion when the weather was as bad as this, Nick Heidfeld finished in second place [behind Lewis Hamilton] and we could see something similar on Sunday.

"That might benefit a driver such as [Force India's] Paul Di Resta, who has shown himself to be very technically accomplished and is capable of maximising his performance. Local knowledge is also important, and knowing the right lines to go down, so I think the home drivers [Di Resta, Hamilton and Jenson Button] could be in with a good shout, although you can never rule out the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. But it's very difficult to predict and I don't think anybody who has never driven an F1 car can understand exactly how demanding it is to go at 180mph or 200mph when it is pouring with rain and the track is soaked. It's like when I watch the Tour de France, see some of the riders having crashes and you find yourself grimacing and asking: 'How can they do that?' But, on Sunday, they simply have to get on with it."

McNish, in common with most of the cognoscenti in his sport, was shocked by the dreadful accident suffered by Maria de Villota, the Marussia test driver, in Oxford on Tuesday. The 32 year-old Spaniard is still battling for life. It was a reminder that, regardless of the push towards greater safety for those who participate at the highest level of motorsport, there is no means of guaranteeing that it becomes a risk-free activity.

"You never expect these things to happen and it has caused shock round the pit and paddock, because she has lost an eye and is still in a critical condition," said McNish, who walked away unscathed from an appalling crash at Le Mans last summer.

"I think the FIA will look at this incident and there are suggestions that they will improve the protection for drivers around the cockpit, but, right now, nobody is thinking about that, everybody is just wishing Maria all the best and hoping that she pulls through."

McNish, one of life's extrovert characters, is savouring his stint in the commentary box and describes the job as a high-tech version of sitting in front of your television, watching the action unfold, in the company of a few friends.

All the same, he anticipates the hairs rising on the back of his neck as the countdown commences to the green and red lights flashing this weekend. "I don't believe you can ignore the conditions and they could be a big leveller, because this has already been an unpredictable season, and there could be more surprises at Silverstone," said McNish. "I reckon if you drive with the right strategy and tyres and with an element of caution, you could well be in with a chance of winning on Sunday. But the thing to bear in mind is that it is the same for everybody."