Robby Illanes/F1 Miami GP photo
Audio By Carbonatix
If you’re in Miami for the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, you might have been awakened early this morning not by the rattle of all-night parties next to your hotel room, but by heavy thunderclaps. Following a couple of days of near-record heat (and even some wildfires), the skies finally opened up early Sunday, with more rain expected throughout the day.
Formula 1 organizers prepared for this eventuality. On Saturday night, they announced Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix at Hard Rock Stadium, the climactic closer to a busy Miami Race Week, would be moved up three hours as a precaution against the severe weather expected during the originally scheduled racetime, 4 p.m. EST. The race is now expected to begin at 1 p.m. EST.
“Following discussions between FIA, F1 and the Miami promoter, the decision has been taken to move the start of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix to 13:00 [1 p.m.] 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,” F1 announced on its social channels.
At press time, The Weather Channel is forecasting storms around 11 a.m., with a three-hour lull to follow before thunderstorms resume at 4 p.m., when the race was originally scheduled to start.
Screenshot via weather.com
The Apple weather app tells a slightly different story. It calls for showers at 1 p.m. — the time the race is now scheduled to begin — with a lull at 2 p.m., then showers again at 3 p.m. and continuing into the evening.
Screenshot via Apple Weather app
It remains to be seen whether the new start time will also be plagued with showers, so you should pack your poncho regardless. (Or, duck for cover inside the stadium’s MSC Cruises Yacht Club if you have easy access). You’ll need to pack some patience, too — exiting Hard Rock Stadium under torrential rain and thunderstorms will likely not be pleasant.
