The start time of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix has been moved up by three hours to 13:00 (1:00 p.m. ET) local time due to the threat of inclement weather.
Miami has been enduring record heat – along with sustained dry weather – for late April/early May through the course of the week, with temperatures peaking at 93 degrees (F) during qualifying.
But thunderstorms are forecast in South Florida on Sunday, with intense rainfall anticipated to worsen through the course of the afternoon.
In the event of storms there is also the additional threat of thunder and lightning, with mandatory evacuations of grandstands and exposed areas if sustained lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius.
In that situation there would be no option but to suspend on-track proceedings for at least half an hour until the lightning has cleared.
As a consequence, the planned start time of 16:00 (4:00 p.m. ET) has been moved to 13:00 (1:00 p.m. ET).
“Following discussions between FIA, F1 and the Miami promoter, the decision has been taken to move the start of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix to 13:00 local time in Miami due to the weather forecast that is expected to bring heavier rainstorms later in the afternoon close to the original planned race start time,” read a joint statement from the FIA, Formula 1 and the Miami Grand Prix.
“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.”
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is due to start from pole position, his third in succession, ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third.
Formula 1 rarely moves a race time forward to anticipate forecast severe rainfall but did so at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix, shifting up the start time by 90 minutes.