The 2025 Miami Grand Prix sprint race commenced under damp conditions.
Due to the impending threat of thunderstorms, the Miami Grand Prix has been moved forward by three hours to 18:00 BST (13:00 local time).
World champion Lando Norris anticipates that Formula 1 drivers will be “thrown in at the deep end” as a result of the expected wet weather on Sunday.
The McLaren driver is among the majority of the grid who are yet to experience the 2026 cars in wet conditions, following the sport’s most significant regulation changes in recent history.
The considerable electrical power now available in the new engines, coupled with teams’ difficulties in deploying it predictably, could lead to “a bit more chaos,” according to Norris.
“I’m unsure of the extent of the wet conditions,” said Norris, who qualified fourth behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. “It will be a significant challenge for everyone to perform and find the limit on race day.
“Naturally, mistakes are not an option. We’re being thrown in the deep end, but that’s our purpose here. I’m looking forward to it.”
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The alteration to the race’s start time follows the cancellation of the previous two scheduled grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The decision was jointly made by F1’s commercial rights holder and the FIA, the sport’s governing body, on Saturday evening in Miami.
According to a statement from F1 and the FIA, the change was implemented because “the weather forecast predicts heavier rainstorms later in the afternoon close to the original planned race start time”.
The statement further emphasized that “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.”
The primary objective is to conclude the race before the arrival of the most severe weather, which is anticipated to occur around 15:00 local time (20:00 BST), an hour prior to the originally scheduled start.
Once the heavy rainfall begins, it is expected to persist for several hours, raising concerns that adhering to the original start time would render the race unfeasible.
Local regulations in the US stipulate that the race may be suspended in the event of a potential lightning strike at or near the circuit. This measure is intended to allow all personnel to “shelter in place”.
The FIA has released a series of protocols outlining the procedures for administering such a situation, whether before or during the race.
By moving the race forward, it is still likely to be held in wet conditions, but the hope is that the conditions will remain within acceptable parameters for the cars to compete.
F1 cars are capable of racing in the rain, but the limiting factor is often visibility due to the extensive spray generated by the cars, as well as the risk of aquaplaning if significant amounts of standing water cause the low-riding vehicles to effectively float on the track.
Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, added: “It’s obviously going to be a voyage into the unknown for everybody. When it rains here, it normally is pretty torrential, so it could be an interesting day.
“It’s just going to be what happens with the power-unit, how you get power, where you get power is in a computer’s hands.
“Just making sure that that does roughly what we expect. Obviously, the margin for error when it’s wet is significantly smaller.”
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli (left) will begin the race on pole position for Mercedes, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen joining him on the front row.
The forecast of rain follows an unpredictable weekend characterized by fluctuating form.
McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari have all introduced significant upgrades to their cars for this race, while Mercedes has implemented only minor developments, reserving their major enhancements for the upcoming race in Canada, where McLaren will also debut further new components.
McLaren dominated the sprint race, with Norris leading a one-two finish ahead of Piastri, only to lose ground in grand prix qualifying.
Meanwhile, Verstappen hailed Red Bull’s progress as “incredible” and “massive” after being a second off the pace at the previous race in Japan.
“When I get a car that is more together, I get more confidence, and I can finally also push a bit more,” he said. “Then I try to always extract the most out of it. And that’s what we’ve done. Honestly, in that lap as well, just trying to hang on to it, and it was good.”
The four-time champion is among the few drivers to have experience driving the new cars in wet conditions, along with the Ferrari drivers and his teammate Isack Hadjar, who crashed in the wet during pre-season testing in Barcelona.
Verstappen noted: “Quite slippery. It’s quite a handful. It’s not going to be easy. But let’s first also wait and see how much water is going to come down, because that also makes a big difference.”
The rain makes it impossible to accurately predict relative competitiveness because there is a lack of information on how the cars perform in relation to each other under such conditions, particularly given the limited number of drivers who have even driven these new cars in the rain.
Furthermore, rain introduces an element of unpredictability, as well as increasing the risk of accidents and incidents.
Miami Grand Prix
18:00 BST on Sunday
Live commentary on BBC radio; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app
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