F1 brings Miami GP start time forward due to thunderstorm threat

Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix will start at 1pm local time on Sunday, three hours before the originally scheduled time, as a response to incoming weather.

Heavy rain and thunderstorm are forecast for Sunday afternoon, so F1 management, governing body the FIA and Miami Grand Prix organisers sat down on Saturday evening to discuss potential schedule changes.

With conditions expected to gradually worsen over the afternoon, a decision was made to bring the race start forward to 1pm local time, giving race control a much larger window to get a full race in.

"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 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," said a joint statement by F1 management and the FIA.

"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."

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

The biggest issue F1 is dealing with is the threat of lightning, as local laws mean that any lightning within an eight-mile radius of the Miami GP venue mean the event has to be halted and all spectators and personnel must seek shelter. Only after a 30-minute break without any further lightning in the are can the event be resumed.

The FIA has also declared a rain hazard before the start of qualifying, which is a new protocol for 2026 that came into play when the chance of rain for the race is above 40%.

The protocol allows F1 teams to make additional car changes under parc ferme that would otherwise be prohibited by the sporting regulations. Teams can now increase ride heights to account for a wet race, and they can also tweak the angle of the front wing flap for Straight Mode.

If race control declares low grip conditions during the race, there will be further changes to how the 2026 cars can be operated.

In that case drivers will no longer be allowed to use the boost mode of their power unit, the deployment of the MGU-K will be lowered from 350kW to 250kW, and the Straight Mode can only be activated on the front wing and not the rear.

As part of the revised schedule, the F2 feature race will now start at 09:25 local time.