The i will begin at one in the afternoon in the city of Florida (7:00 p.m., Spanish peninsular time), three hours before its initial programming, after all the parties involved agreed this Saturday on an extraordinary measure to try to overcome the storm predicted by the weather forecasts. The forecasts anticipate heavy rain, accompanied by a thunderstorm, for this Sunday afternoon, a circumstance that caused the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the local promoters of the event and FOM, the holder of the commercial rights of the event, to meet after the qualifying session and agree on this change in the day’s agenda, in order to have more room for maneuver to find a window in which to hold the race.
“Following conversations between the FIA, the FOM and the Miami promoter, it has been decided to advance the start of Sunday’s grand prix to 1:00 p.m. local time, due to the weather forecasts, which announce heavy rain in the afternoon, close to the scheduled start time of the race,” read the joint statement issued by F1 and the FIA. “This decision has been made to minimize interruptions in the race, guarantee as much time as possible to complete it in the best conditions, and prioritize the safety of drivers, fans, teams and staff,” the note completed.
The main threat to the event lies in the electrical component, since local laws establish that no event can take place with lightning in the sky, less than 13 kilometers away. In this case, the event must be suspended, and all equipment personnel and operators must seek shelter. The appointment can only be restarted once half an hour has passed, without lightning. At the same time, the FIA has also activated a new protocol, identified as ‘risk of rain’, which is activated when the possibility of water exceeds 40%. In these circumstances, the teams can modify certain parameters of the cars despite them being in parc ferme conditions, to adapt them to driving on wet tracks.
