Formula 1 officials ordered an immediate evacuation of grandstands at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday as dangerous lightning storms swept across South Florida, forcing fans and personnel to seek immediate shelter. The severe weather prompted urgent safety warnings displayed on the big screen at Hard Rock Stadium, instructing everyone to “shelter in place” and move to the nearest protected indoor areas as lightning posed a significant threat to the Miami International Autodrome.
Race organizers had already moved the start time three hours earlier to 1 p.m. local time (6 p.m. UK, 7 p.m. CET, 10 a.m. Pacific) in anticipation of the volatile weather forecast that meteorologists had been tracking throughout the weekend. The preemptive scheduling change was designed to create a window of opportunity before the most severe storms were expected to arrive in the Miami Gardens area.
The emergency evacuation warnings came as the predicted thunderstorms materialized with heavy rainfall and frequent lightning strikes battering the circuit. Officials displayed clear instructions reading “SHELTER IN PLACE. Inclement weather approaching, that includes lightning. Seek shelter inside nearest protected area or inside stadium” as the dangerous conditions developed rapidly around the venue.
Formula 1 and FIA officials are now banking on a narrow three-hour weather window to complete the race before additional severe storms are forecast to hit the area. Weather predictions indicate that thunderstorms with lightning were expected during the late morning and lunchtime hours, with race organizers hoping conditions would clear sufficiently for the rescheduled 1 p.m. start time before another wave of severe weather arrives around 4 p.m., which was the original planned race start time.