Why the expected storm in Miami risks creating discord

Miami: its beaches, its palm trees, its surfers… and its capricious weather! While the Florida capital enjoys sunshine for most of the year, when the elements unleash their fury, things can take a critical turn. Although a new hurricane isn't threatening Miami this weekend, a major thunderstorm is expected on Sunday, the day of the Grand Prix, and could bring lightning strikes near the circuit.

These factors could disrupt the smooth running of the event, since a race cannot be held if the medical helicopter cannot fly. Furthermore, a US law prohibits events from being held during thunderstorm warnings when there is a risk of lightning strikes. "We are closely monitoring the weather forecast for this weekend.""That's what a spokesperson for the FIA ​​said." "Having faced a similar situation last year in Miami with thunderstorm threats, we have a contingency plan that we will activate if necessary to minimize disruptions to the on-track program."

That being said, even if the race were to go ahead, a challenge would arise: the drivers have never raced on wet or intermediate tires, nor have they ever driven these 2026-spec cars on a wet track. Before Miami, the FIA ​​changed the rules, reducing the amount of electrical power required in the rain. At the same time, the rear light systems were modified to improve visibility, while the temperature of the tire warmers on the intermediate tires was increased to enhance grip and performance.

"I think it's on everyone's mind — what's going to happen in the rain?" wonders Carlos Sainz. “I’ve always been somewhat in favor of the idea that 350 kW of electrical power isn’t necessary, and I hope we can find a way to reduce it to 250 or 300 for the race. I hope all the appropriate measures will be taken to ensure we still have a great show, a great race. I think all the drivers want to race in the rain—myself included, I love wet conditions. But with the right systems and tools in place to make it safe.”, continues the Madrid native, who is very keen on pilot safety, like his colleagues.

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The pilots are afraid of the rain

"I drove the car during the shakedown at Silverstone in the rain and it was really very tricky." “,” says Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader. “Now, with the changes, the power is reduced to 250 kW in the rain and without boost—that’s already a step forward in that respect. It’s going to be tricky because there will be a lot of unknowns, and we’ll really be in uncharted territory. I also think a big issue is that we’ll need to increase the temperature of the tire warmers for the rain tires, because as they are now, they’ll probably be a bit too low for those conditions. Nobody has really used the intermediate tires yet; we don’t know what the feel or grip will be like—especially with the new regulations. And with these cars, it’s a bit more difficult to get the tires up to temperature, so it could be tricky in the rain. That’s why we’ll probably need to increase the temperature of the warmers.”

"I've also put quite a lot of mileage into riding in the rain so far, and it's very tricky with intermediate tires to get them up to temperature as soon as there's a lot of water." Isack Hadjar agrees. "And of course, it's not ideal to find yourself directly in the rain during a race without having been able to drive in those conditions during qualifying." For its part, Oscar piastri expects a scenario " interesting "in case of rain, but estimates "that these cars will be difficult to drive in the rain because of some of their particular features."

Especially since Pirelli also lacks extensive experience with these rain tires: the Italian manufacturer had initially organized a test in Bahrain on a track that was to be artificially watered for the occasion, but this was canceled due to tensions in the region. As a result, Pirelli has relatively little data on the performance of its intermediate and rain tires on a wet track. The answer will certainly come as early as Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix, if it is held in the rain.