Miami Grand Prix Moved Earlier to Beat Storms
Formula 1 organisers have moved Sunday's Miami Grand Prix forward by three hours, hoping to complete the race before forecast thunderstorms hit south Florida. Instead of starting at 16:00 local time (21:00 BST, British Summer Time) , the race will now begin at 13:00 (18:00 BST) , the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) , Formula One Management and the Miami Grand Prix announced after qualifying on Saturday evening. State law in Florida requires major outdoor events to be suspended or cancelled if lightning strikes nearby, and forecasts pointed to heavy storms from around 15:00 onwards. Mercedes' 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli will start on pole, ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and McLaren's Lando Norris.
The decision reflects both safety concerns and commercial pressure. Florida's shelter in place rules would have forced an automatic suspension if a storm struck the Hard Rock Stadium circuit, and once the predicted rain arrives it is expected to last for hours. Organisers were also keen to avoid a repeat of the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, when only two laps were completed behind a safety car. The earlier start gives a wider window of daylight in which to run a full race. Cancelling outright was not an option Liberty Media— Formula 1's American owners— could easily accept, since Miami is one of the sport's most valuable US assets, drawing more than 200,000 spectators across the weekend. Two earlier 2026 races have already been called off because of the Middle East conflict.
Even with the schedule change, the race is likely to be wet, and that worries many in the paddock. Most drivers have never raced the all-new 2026 cars— Formula 1's biggest rule change in decades— in rain. Their hybrid power units deploy huge amounts of electrical energy, and teams are still struggling to make that delivery predictable. We're thrown in at the deep end, said Norris. His McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri described the conditions as a voyage into the unknown, warning that Florida storms tend to be torrential. Visibility through spray, aquaplaning on standing water, and a much smaller margin for error are now the dominant concerns.