Formula 1 have decided to shift the start time for the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday to 6pm (BST) with wet weather on the radar.
While sunny conditions were overhead for action on Friday and Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium, latest forecasts for Sunday show heavy thunderstorms hitting the Miami Gardens area.
Sunday’s grand prix was scheduled to start at 4pm local time (9pm BST), but the FIA have now moved it forward by three hours to 1pm local time (6pm BST), due to “the weather forecast that is expected to bring heavier rainstorms later in the afternoon close to the original planned race start time.”
The joint statement from F1, the FIA and Miami Grand Prix continued: “This decision has been taken to ensure the least amount of disruption to the race, and to ensure the maximum possible window to complete the Grand Prix in the best conditions and to prioritise the safety of drivers, fans, teams and staff.”
There is precedence for this: when qualifying at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo was cancelled, it took place early on Sunday morning before the grand prix, which was also shifted forward a few hours due to the risk of heavy downpours.
A complication to the situation was US law’s strict instruction to halt any outdoor public event if there is a thunderstorm approaching, with spectators ordered to leave the area.
Miami hosts round four of the 2026 F1 season after a five-week break, due to the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the ongoing conflict in the Gulf.
It is also a sprint race weekend, with just one 90-minute practice session on Friday before competitive sessions begin with sprint qualifying.
