F1’s Miami Grand Prix schedule in doubt amid thunderstorm threat
MIAMI — Formula 1 could struggle to complete the entire Miami Grand Prix if forecasts of severe thunderstorms are confirmed on Sunday.
The F1 race in Miami is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Eastern time, but current forecasts suggest rain and storms for most of the day in the area around Hard Rock Stadium, around which the F1 circuit winds.
In Florida, sporting events must stop immediately after hearing thunder and cannot resume until 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning strike. This “30 minute rule” restarts for any subsequent lightning, usually causing delays for outdoor events like the Miami Grand Prix.
IndyCar and NASCAR races have been stopped or delayed for similar reasons in the past.
The ruling FIA is expected to issue an update on the Grand Prix schedule on Saturday afternoon, giving officials time to assess the forecast before deciding whether to change the next day’s schedule.
The F1 race includes two side events on Sunday: a Porsche Supercup race and a Formula 2 race. Sources told ESPN that the Porsche Supercup race could be canceled and the F2 race would have moved forward to give F1 the opportunity to start the race earlier.
Despite rumors to the contrary on social media, several senior paddock sources told ESPN that there had been no discussions around hosting the race on Monday.
If a race was delayed or stopped due to nearby lightning, the restart order could not be issued by the FIA until there had been 30 uninterrupted minutes without a strike in the same area.
The FIA will be careful about light: sunset in Miami is at 7:52 p.m., but a race cannot take place when visibility drops below a certain level.
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Competitively, a race on a wet track would also be a first under the new rules. F1 regulations state that battery boost mode must be disabled in the wet, while software-dictated power deployment in cars is also capped at 250 kilowatts. The straight line mode for the moving aerodynamic devices at the front and rear of the car is also slightly revised.
Speaking ahead of the weekend, drivers expressed some concerns about what racing in the rain might look like.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly spoke about his laps in the wet during a shakedown at Silverstone earlier this year.
“It was 30 degrees in the tires, the wheels were spinning in sixth gear,” he said.
“After Maggotts, Becketts [corners] — the underwear changes every round! It was the most extreme thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Drivers are also unsure whether wet weather would increase concerns about closing speeds between cars.
“Because you don’t have that engine off [of the new cars] because the batteries are… you don’t use as much power. You could therefore have less break in the straights and arrive faster at the end of the straight.
“You can find yourself in tricky situations, especially if drivers are driving with different engine strategies. You have very little visibility, so that’s the complexity of these rules and something we need to understand to get out of this.”
“Because in the wet we really are passengers. In the rain it’s not about being brave or not. It’s about going flat out and hoping that no car in front of you is slower than you – and you just assume they’re the same speed as you.”
