A method for forming a hydrophobic coating on a substrate by a thermal spray deposition process, comprising: feeding a thermal spray apparatus with a coating precursor, the coating precursor including coating precursor particles having an initial particle morphology (block 36); heating the coating precursor particles with the thermal spray apparatus to cause the coating precursor particles to at least partially melt (block 44); accelerating the coating precursor particles towards the substrate using the thermal spray apparatus (32; block 52); and forming the hydrophobic coating on the substrate by allowing the coating precursor particles to impact the substrate in a partially melted state in which a fraction of the initial particle morphology of at least some of the coating precursor particles is retained (block 58); applying an additional layer on the hydrophobic coating by a thermal spray deposition process comprising: feeding the thermal spray apparatus with secondary particles having an initial secondary particle morphology, the secondary particles having at least one of a lower surface energy and a smaller particle size than the coating precursor particles (block 74); heating the secondary particles with the thermal spray apparatus to cause the secondary particles to at least partially melt (block 76); accelerating the secondary particles towards the substrate using the thermal spray apparatus (32; block 78); and forming the additional layer on the hydrophobic coating by allowing the secondary particles to impact the hydrophobic coating in a partially melted state in which a fraction of the initial secondary particle morphology of at least some of the secondary particles is retained (block 80), wherein the thermal spray apparatus is a HVOF spray torch. feeding a thermal spray apparatus with a coating precursor, the coating precursor including coating precursor particles having an initial particle morphology (block 36); heating the coating precursor particles with the thermal spray apparatus to cause the coating precursor particles to at least partially melt (block 44); accelerating the coating precursor particles towards the substrate using the thermal spray apparatus (32; block 52); and forming the hydrophobic coating on the substrate by allowing the coating precursor particles to impact the substrate in a partially melted state in which a fraction of the initial particle morphology of at least some of the coating precursor particles is retained (block 58); applying an additional layer on the hydrophobic coating by a thermal spray deposition process comprising: feeding the thermal spray apparatus with secondary particles having an initial secondary particle morphology, the secondary particles having at least one of a lower surface energy and a smaller particle size than the coating precursor particles (block 74); heating the secondary particles with the thermal spray apparatus to cause the secondary particles to at least partially melt (block 76); accelerating the secondary particles towards the substrate using the thermal spray apparatus (32; block 78); and forming the additional layer on the hydrophobic coating by allowing the secondary particles to impact the hydrophobic coating in a partially melted state in which a fraction of the initial secondary particle morphology of at least some of the secondary particles is retained (block 80), feeding the thermal spray apparatus with secondary particles having an initial secondary particle morphology, the secondary particles having at least one of a lower surface energy and a smaller particle size than the coating precursor particles (block 74); heating the secondary particles with the thermal spray apparatus to cause the secondary particles to at least partially melt (block 76); accelerating the secondary particles towards the substrate using the thermal spray apparatus (32; block 78); and forming the additional layer on the hydrophobic coating by allowing the secondary particles to impact the hydrophobic coating in a partially melted state in which a fraction of the initial secondary particle morphology of at least some of the secondary particles is retained (block 80), wherein the thermal spray apparatus is a HVOF spray torch.