The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix has been officially rescheduled for earlier on Sunday, due to the looming threat of severe weather.
Coming into the weekend, the weather forecast highlighted unstable conditions around the Miami International Autodrome. Heavy rain, lightning, and strong winds are predicted to impact race day. Leaving a cloud of uncertainty over the main event on Sunday.
This uncertainty prompted serious discussions between the FIA and FOM, following Saturday’s qualifying session. With the threat of thunderstorms in the Miami area, race officials began evaluating contingency plans to ensure driver, team and fan safety across Sunday.
The series had to comply with legal requirements and safety guidelines. Namely, the ‘30-30’ lightning safety guideline, which is a recommendation on how events should manage severe storms. Under this recommendation, if lightning is detected within a six-mile radius of the event, all personnel are required to seek immediate shelter for at least 30 minutes after the strike.
This would force the series to stay under Red Flag conditions for the entire race window.
Following extensive talks, it was later confirmed that the Miami Grand Prix would have an earlier start time of 1 PM local time. This move aims to ensure the race will be completed before the heavy rain is meant to strike the circuit.
Importantly, this shift in the schedule pushes everything else earlier as well. Formula 2’s feature race will also have an earlier start time, of 09.25am.
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