F1’s Miami Grand Prix has been brought forward due to the threat of storms

Formula 1 has moved up the start time of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix by three hours due to heavy lightning and rain forecast.

The F1 race was scheduled to start at 4 pm ET but has now been brought forward to 1 pm ET, 6 pm BST.

The decision was made after discussions between F1, the governing FIA and Miami promoters on Saturday night, and a statement said it was “to ensure the minimum disruption to the race and the maximum possible window to complete the Grand Prix under the best conditions and to prioritize the safety of drivers, fans, teams and staff.”

The race in Miami is 57 laps long, while Formula 1 rules say a race can have a maximum of two hours of active running time.

There is no guarantee that the race will actually start at the new time, but the time change will allow the governing FIA and F1 to try to complete as many races as possible under the conditions.

Wet races are often stop-start affairs, with conditions creating a high likelihood of crashes and red flags, meaning a race is suspended.

The forecast throughout the week suggested heavy flooding — even thunderstorms — on Sunday and left a narrow window for a 4 p.m. start time, as sunset in Miami is currently at 7:42 p.m.

There is no clear window of day when the weather is likely to be good, although storm intensity waxes and wanes in the days approaching the event.

The threat of thunderstorms can be complicated by the extent to which the run can be complete.

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In Florida, sporting events are often advised to stop as soon as thunder is heard and not resume until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder or lightning. This “30-minute rule” is reinstated for any subsequent thunderstorms, which usually cause delays for outdoor events.

Another oddity is that Sunday is set to be the first wet-weather race for Formula 1’s controversial new cars.

The sport has introduced cars this year with an unprecedented focus on battery collection and power deployment, and drivers have so far been unimpressed with the small amount of wet weather racing at their disposal in test events.