Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, May 3, is the sport’s first American race on the 2026 calendar. However, F1 faced a potential cancellation due to a thunderstorm threat on race day, leading to the race being rescheduled.
A Florida law related to hosting outdoor events in thunderstorms requires a special approach, prompting F1 and its governing body, the FIA, to reschedule the Miami GP to avoid interruption.
The Miami Grand Prix is expected to be a crowd puller and a star-studded event. As a result, F1 remains committed to ensuring the weather does not play spoilsport by interrupting a race.
This is especially significant, given that the previous two rounds at Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled due to the ongoing Iran war.
How Heavy Rain and Thunder Can Come in the Way of F1
The Miami weather forecast suggests a 99% chance of rain on raceday, and a 69% chance of thunderstorms. For the afternoon, the forecast reveals a 90% chance of rain under a 99% cloud cover.
While F1 races do take place in the rain, excessive rain can form pools of water on the track, which can cause a visibility problem. The spray created by the cars significantly reduces visibility, heightening the chance of incidents.
Whether or not to cancel a race depends on the severity of the rain. However, even if it does rain just enough to allow the race to continue, thunderstorms around the Miami International Autodrome could cause the race to be paused, or even cancelled.
A current Florida law prohibits outdoor events during lightning and thunderstorms, which prompted F1 to reschedule the race.
The Florida Law That Pushed F1 to Reschedule the Race
The Miami GP was to take place on May 3, 4 p.m. Eastern Time. But with rain on the radar, the race has been rescheduled to take place on the same day at 1 p.m.
This has been done according to the weather forecast, which suggests rain and thunderstorms mid-afternoon. An earlier race would mean F1 could avoid heavy rain, but no one can confirm that for certain.
Florida laws require sports events to pause when the sound of thunder is heard. A resumption is only allowed after 30 minutes have passed since the most recent clap of thunder or lightning strike.
With the previous schedule, the race was to begin at 4 p.m. and end by around 6 p.m. However, a pause due to a thunderstorm could have extended the event beyond sunset, and a lack of natural light could have caused other complications.
Keeping in mind the various situations that could play out during the race, the FIA, FOM, and organizers of the Miami GP announced in a statement, reported by Sky Sports F1, that the race had been rescheduled:
“Following discussions between FIA, FOM and the Miami promoter, the decision has been taken to move the start of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix to 1pm 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.
“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.”
If the race begins under rainy conditions, it will happen under a rolling start, a possibility that pole-sitter Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli prefers over a standing start. He said:
“If it’s a rolling start, definitely it will take that (standing start) element out of the way, but let’s see.
“Obviously it’s meant to be raining a lot, so let’s see also with timings what’s going to happen. Hopefully we’re going to be able to find the best timing in order not to have crazy conditions.”