F1 2026 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest from Florida as thunderstorms threaten race

verstappen, red bull, miami, f1, 2025 generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Miami Grand Prix

F1 2026 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest from Florida as thunderstorms threaten race

The latest weather forecast ahead of the F1 Miami Grand Prix

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Sunday 3 May 2026 17:30

The Miami Grand Prix weekend is set to provide F1 teams and drivers with testing conditions as the 2026 season finally resumes in Florida.

After an extended break in the calendar, the paddock returned to action at the Miami International Autodrome for a sprint weekend, with blazing sunshine greeting the drivers on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday...not so much.

In an unusual step, the race has been brought forward three hours by the FIA in a bid to dodge the possibility of lightning delays later in the day.

Article continues under video

Sunday’s race will now be taking place at 1pm local time (ET), or 6pm BST, and while the organisers may have bought themselves some time...they might not have bought themselves a dry track.

Let's take a look at the forecast as things stand.

F1 MIAMI GRAND PRIX: Fans told to evacuate stands as lightning storms strike

F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast

Sunday, May 3: Miami Grand Prix

Temperatures are expected to sit at around 27 degrees Celsius when the lights go out in the early afternoon, but rain is still threatening.

The move to shift the start forward currently looks like a good move, with the rain radar indicating (at time of writing) that the storm which could still threaten even a 1pm start has broken up slightly, and will be out of the area shortly after 1pm (ET).

There's still very much a chance of rain from the north side of the cell, as well as the larger (but less concentrated) one that's following it in from the south west, but a repeat of the morning's dramatic storms looks very unlikely.

Of course, wet and changing conditions will create major strategy questions around tyre choice, pit timing and setup, especially after two dry days of running.

The (now much lessened) chance of lightning around the circuit could also lead to a halt in proceedings with a red flag, or a suspension of the grand prix altogether until the electrical storm passes. Even though the race has now been moved to earlier in the day in an attempt to avoid this issue, there is now a tight window of opportunity for the 57-lap race to take place, with thundery conditions and lightning still forecast for 4pm local time on Sunday.

Could rain hit the Miami GP race?

Whilst Friday and Saturday provided hot, dry conditions, Sunday carries a clear risk of weather disruption.

That means teams may have to prepare for a weekend where most of the data is gathered in dry conditions, only for the race itself to be affected by rain.

For fans, it could provide exactly the kind of uncertainty that turns a sprint weekend into something far more chaotic.

F1 Miami Grand Prix