George Russell’s ‘perfect weekend’ in jeopardy as wild weather puts Miami Grand Prix at risk of suspension

Formula 1 is back.

After a four-week long extended absence, the world’s best 22 drivers will take to the streets for the Miami Grand Prix – the second of six sprint weekends on F1‘s 2026 calendar.

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But the return to the track could be quite the soggy one.

It is expected to be hot and dry as action gets underway on Friday and Saturday, with ambient temperatures expected to hit 93°F/34°C and track temperatures potentially exceeding that of 131°F/55°C.

Sunday, though, is expected to be an entirely different story.

Why weather could ruin Sunday’s race in Miami

Current weather forecasts indicate that there is a serious threat of rain and a heavy thunderstorm.

US law requires that in the event of a thunderstorm, major outdoor public events – like a grand prix – must be halted, especially if there is a risk of lightning strikes.

This is because it not only poses dangers to spectators, but also prevents, if necessary, a medical helicopter from flying.

As such, if rain and thunderstorms arrive over the weekend, the race would likely be stopped by red flag, with drivers required to return to the pit lane.

“We are closely monitoring the weather forecast for this weekend,” an FIA spokesperson said on Thursday.

“Having faced a similar situation last year in Miami with threats of thunderstorms, we have a contingency plan in place and will activate it if needed to minimise disruption to the on-track [program].”

In another rule, that is unique only to the three races held in the United States: Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, under thunderstorm-related stoppages, teams are allowed to work on the cars in the garage instead of doing so in the pit lane.

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Could Sunday’s race in Miami be suspended?

Potentially, although the race has a four-hour window in which it can be completed in, allowing time for any storms to pass if necessary.

With new regulations and new cars for 2026, most drivers on the grid have yet to experience how the torque characteristics of their vehicles will hold up in wet-weather conditions.

Others, like that championship leader Kimi Antonelli, have had limited experience, albeit in a wet shakedown preseason.

“Definitely it’s going to be very interesting because there’s so much unknown in the wet at the moment,” Antonelli said, via The Race.

“No one really used the inter tyres, so we don’t know how it’s going to feel, how much grip there will be, especially with the new regulations.

“I think also one thing with this year’s cars is it’s a bit harder to build temperature with the tyres, so in the wet they might be tricky.”

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Russell needs to have the ‘perfect weekend’

The 19-year-old currently finds himself with a narrow nine-point lead at the top of the driver’s championship standings, ahead of Mercedes-Benz teammate George Russell, and 23 points ahead of Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc.

But for F1 reporter Ted Kravitz, having the ‘perfect weekend’ is ‘crucial’ to Russell’s future with the team.

“It’s a marathon not a sprint,” Kravitz told Paul Hawksbee and Charlie Baker on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee & Baker show on Friday.

“But even George Russell was saying that, ‘Yes Kimi Antonelli, my 19-year-old teammate is 10-plus points ahead of me in the championship. Kimi is the youngest leader of the world championship that we’ve ever had. But I’m not particularly worried.’

“I’m not sure I buy that. George Russell needs to have the perfect weekend. It’s a sprint weekend in Miami. George Russell needs to win the sprint. He needs to qualify on pole for the Grand Prix and then win the Grand Prix.

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“If he lets Kimi Antonelli, who is no slouch around here – Kimi was on pole last year in the sprint race here. If he lets Kimi Antonelli win another race to make it a hat-trick of wins, then suddenly everyone is talking about the teenager being the lead driver at Mercedes and not George Russell.

“So a crucial weekend for Russell.”

While Kravitz has called for Russell to achieve the Grand Slam in Miami, starting on pole position hasn’t been too favourable to the drivers in the past.

In the four previous iterations at the Miami International Autodrome, no driver has ever gone on to win the race from starting on the front row.

Therefore, if he is to win the race on Sunday and try to close the gap to his Mercedes teammate, then ‘Mr Saturday’ may find its in his best interest to not put on his signature display in qualifying.

But of course, he will want to, and he will drive with intent to do so.