The Miami Grand Prix has been moved forward by three hours to 3am Monday morning AEST because of the threat of storms.
The move came as world champion Lando Norris said drivers will be “thrown in at the deep end” by the expected wet weather.
The change to the start time comes after the previous two scheduled races, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, were cancelled due to the war in the Middle East.
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A statement from F1 and the FIA said the decision was made because “the weather forecast [predicts] heavier rainstorms later in the afternoon, close to the original planned race start time”.
“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 statement read.
Norris is one of the vast majority of the grid who have not yet experienced the 2026 cars in wet conditions.
“It’s going to be a big challenge on race day for everyone to perform, find the limit,” Norris said.
“Obviously, you can’t afford to make any mistakes. We’re thrown in the deep end, but that’s what we’re here to do. I look forward to it.”
The aim is to try to finish the race before the worst of the weather arrives, which is forecast to be about 5am AEST.
The heavy rain is expected to last for hours. Local laws in the US mean that the race could be suspended if there is a threat of a lightning strike at or around the circuit.
“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,” Australian driver Oscar Piastri said.
“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.”
Piastri is set to start seventh on the grid, after earlier finishing second behind Norris in the sprint race.
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