Miami Grand Prix sprint race DELAYED as F1 drivers battle chaotic conditions

The sprint race at this weekend's Miami Grand Prix has been delayed as the stars of Formula 1 struggled with horrendous conditions out on track.

The race procedure got underway with a formation lap behind the safety car as FIA race director Rui Marques gathered information from the drivers with a decision pending over whether to delay the 100km event due to heavy rainfall.

McLaren star Oscar Piastri then labelled the wet track as 'genuinely the worst conditions' he had ever raced in, with the decision made shortly after to red flag the sprint, delaying proceedings.

Dramatic conditions disrupt Miami GP weekend

Even four-time world champion Max Verstappen struggled in the wet, locking up and going off the track during the pre-race proceedings.

Charles Leclerc had things even worse however as he was unable to even start the formation lap having already crashed out of the race.

The track at the Miami International Autodrome was meticulously swept before F1's governing body announced the sprint would restart at 12:28 local time (EDT), confirming that the sprint had not already begun, despite a heated debate from the Sky F1 commentary team over whether the first lap had been completed under the safety car or not.

After the sprint had been red-flagged, Sky Sports' punditry team noted the one hour clock for the sprint had not begun to countdown despite their telemetry displaying the session as being one lap into the race.

Discussing whether the extended formation lap was allowed, Sky F1's Martin Brundle said: "You can’t just lob in an extra formation lap, the cars are fuelled very precisely for a formation lap and a sprint race.

"You can't just randomly lop extra formation laps at Formula 1 teams, that’s why I believe the screen that’s up there."

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