The weather could well play a role this weekend in Miami. The Florida event, the fourth round of the World Championship of F1The race takes place this weekend, once again in a Sprint format. This means that teams will have very little track time before getting down to business, with only one Free Practice session before sprint qualifying. Friday and Saturday are forecast to be sunny, with temperatures around 30°C at Miami International Autodrome. These warm and stable conditions will provide a consistent backdrop for the first two days of competition, but they could prove deceptive: if rain arrives on Sunday as predicted, the teams will have no opportunity to prepare their cars for wet conditions.
In a sprint format where each session is already limited, the margin for adaptation is virtually nonexistent—and a sudden change in the weather between Saturday and Sunday afternoon could alter the hierarchy of a grid that has been very predictable until now. This is especially true with the arrival of the rule changes introduced by the FIA. It is therefore Sunday's race that is the focus of all the questions. A probability of rain ranging from 30 to 80% between 16 p.m. and 19 p.m. on a street circuit as treacherous as Miami could completely reshuffle the standings. The F1 Academy demonstrated this last year during this same weekend: heavy rain at the start of their event forced race control to delay and then ultimately... cancel the testThe drivers explained over the radio that the track was completely unusable. A third race was then organized as a replacement, in Montreal.
F2 in discovery
The F1 Academy is not returning to Miami this year, but it will be replaced by the Formula 2 who will be discovering this circuit for the first time after the cancellation of its Middle Eastern races. A unique challenge for the young drivers, who will be performing demonstrations on a circuit none of them know outside of the simulator. Even less so in the rain, unlike the Formula 1 drivers, who experienced it in those conditions last year, in Sprint races.
This dimension resonates particularly in Miami, where an intriguing statistic has emerged since the event was added to the calendar: the pole sitter has never actually won the race. From 2022 to 2024, every driver who started from pole finished second. In 2025, Max Verstappen, who had secured pole position, finished fourth — overtaken by the two McLaren byOscar piastri et Lando Norris as well as by the Mercedes Benz George Russell in a race dominated by the Australian's pace. If rain were to arrive on Sunday, this trend could well continue for a fifth consecutive year, to the benefit of a strategist capable of reading the conditions better than his rivals in a moment of organized chaos.
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Paul Lucas
30/04/2026 at 08:51 a.m.
Yes Vincent, F1, if it rains, will be playing with fire, given the design of the 2026 cars. I don't see last year's rain-related systems anymore??? And in that case, hello carnage!
Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)
29/04/2026 at 03:30 a.m.
The Warm-Up principle should be obvious on Sunday… And if it rains for the race, all the better for the interest of the race! Because honestly, this circuit shouldn't be on the F1 calendar. (A bland circuit) We'll see… This weekend… A word about May 1st… Let's not forget Ayrton… Senna Forever Expo: Wickrange / Luxembourg 🇱🇺 all his F1 cars, Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, and the last one… Williams… Org: Galleria 610 (GRIDX) President: Ayrton Senna Memorial Club of Luxembourg 🇱🇺. Alain Féguenne Expo: November 11th - May 10th… alainkf1@pt.lu
Guillaume B.
29/04/2026 at 12:26 a.m.
It's going to be really tough for all the drivers on the grid who are of American nationality, not really used to these conditions.
vincent moyet
29/04/2026 at 11:54 a.m.
Yet another area where F1 is playing with fire until disaster strikes: with the sprint format, presented in the name of "entertainment" but ultimately pointless, and especially with the elimination of the Sunday morning warm-up, cars not set up for it and unprepared drivers are being forced to race in the rain, which is particularly dangerous. Remember, rain tires alone are not enough; suspension and gearboxes must have specific settings for safe driving in the wet.
Yves-Henri RANDIER
29/04/2026 at 11:43 a.m.
It'll be great if it rains, it'll completely change the game... but watch out for the run-off areas because the walls are close on the Mickey Mouse track in Miami!