Miami GP Start Time Changed as Formula 1 Tries to Outrun Florida Weather
Formula 1 blinked before the Florida sky did, moving Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix start up three hours to avoid thunderstorms, lightning, and possible race stoppages.
Miami GP Start Changed to Beat Florida Storms Hector Vivas - Getty Images 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).