Red Bull F1 junior star crashes out at Miami Grand Prix as weather plays havoc with race start

Miami Grand Prix

Red Bull star crashes out at Miami Grand Prix as weather plays havoc with race start

A sign of things to come later on Sunday?

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 3 May 2026 18:15

Wet weather conditions wreaked havoc on the start of a race at the Miami Grand Prix, after the F1 race was brought forward to try and avoid the worst of the weather.

The Miami International Autodrome has had a rain hazard placed on it by the FIA, meaning that there is more than a 40 per cent chance that we will see a wet F1 race, following a dry sprint race yesterday.

On top of this, there are thunderstorms in the area too, leading to fears of red flags or even race suspensions for the F1 main race.

Article continues under video

But it's not just F1 who are concerned about the weather. Feature series F2 delayed the start of their feature race on Sunday by around 25 minutes, in order to let some of the rain clear before the start of the race.

It meant that the race started at 10:25am local time (ET) rather than the previously scheduled 10am, with F1 now set to happen at 1pm local time.

But despite this delay, the F2 feature race still got underway on a wet track, and that caused chaos at the start for a number of drivers.

Red Bull junior star Tsolov out at turn one

Red Bull junior driver Nikola Tsolov's participation in the race was over heading into turn one, after Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak could not slow his car down in time heading into the first turn, and clipped Tsolov's Campos Racing car.

Inthraphuvasak was given a 10-second time penalty for the incident at the start of the race, but the incident showed quite how difficult it was for the F2 drivers in the early stages of the race, which could be a taste of things to come later on Sunday in F1.

Championship leader Tsolov was confirmed to be ok after the incident, and was in the paddock watching the rest of the race from screens on the pit wall.

Will the Miami Grand Prix be cancelled?

With thunderstorms forecast, the main priority for F1 and the FIA will be the safety of everybody at the circuit, including fans.

If a lightning strike hits anywhere within eight miles of the circuit, then we may see a suspension of the race, as detailed by the FIA sporting regulations, and the race would only get underway once again if sufficient time passes without another lightning strike.

On top of this, red flags can also be waved if the rain becomes too heavy, or if the spray coming from the car ahead is hampering the visibility of the drivers.

Ahead of the day's action, a big screen inside the Hard Rock Stadium (which is housing the paddock this weekend) issued an urgent warning to fans and personnel.

The warning read: "SHELTER IN PLACE. Inclement weather approaching, that includes lightning.

"Seek shelter inside nearest protected area or inside stadium."

The latest forecast suggests that thunderstorms could hit at any point during the day, while there is currently a 40 per cent chance of rain hitting the circuit for lights out in the F1 race. That decreases for the second hour of the scheduled race down to a 30 per cent chance, before the chance of precipitation rises rapidly after that, meaning F1 will be desperate to try and get the race finished as quickly as possible.

How points work for a shortened F1 Grand Prix

According to article 2.2.1 of the FIA regulations, championship points - both for the drivers’ and constructors’ standings - depend on the leader’s completed laps from the start signal until the race’s end notification. Points will only be awarded if the leader has completed at least two full, consecutive laps under green conditions, with no safety car or virtual safety car periods.

To break it down:

* If at least two laps are completed, the winner earns 6 points and the fifth-placed driver receives 1 point.

* Should the competitors complete more than 25 per cent but less than 50 per cent of the planned distance, the winner will be granted 13 points while the driver finishing ninth gets 1 point.

* If over 50 per cent but less than 75 per cent of the race is run, the winner’s reward increases to 19 points, with the tenth-placed driver receiving 1 point.

* Once 75 per cent or more of the race distance is completed, the standard Formula 1 points system applies. So in this case, 42.7 laps would need to be completed in Miami today.

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

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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