Round 4 of 22 · Miami Grand Prix

Miami Grand Prix

1:00 PM EDT · Miami · Miami Gardens

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Lights out 13:00 Miami Gardens time Detecting timezone...
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Sprint race 12:00 Miami Gardens time (Saturday)

Miami

Miami Gardens, United States · America/New_York

Miami International Autodrome is a 5.412 km (3.363 miles) circuit built around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, with 19 corners across a 57-lap race distance of 308.326 km. The track debuted on the F1 calendar in 2022 and features three DRS zones. Max Verstappen holds the lap record at 1:29.708, set in 2023.

The circuit’s defining overtaking spot is the Turn 17 braking zone at the end of the long back straight, where cars arrive at over 320 km/h before heavy braking for a tight right-hander. The Turn 1 complex rewards late braking and provides first-lap drama, while the marina section in the middle of the lap, though largely cosmetic, provides a distinctive visual identity. The chicane at Turns 14 and 15 tests car stability, and the combination of long straights and tight 90-degree corners rewards straight-line speed and precise braking.

Miami has quickly built its own history. Max Verstappen won the first two editions in 2022 and 2023, establishing his dominance in the early years. On 5 May 2024, Lando Norris took his breakthrough victory, beating Verstappen in a head-to-head battle that signaled McLaren’s return to the front of the grid. The sprint race format adds a Saturday race that brings additional action and strategic intrigue to the weekend.

The timezone is America/New_York at EDT (UTC-4). A 15:00 local start is 19:00 GMT and 21:00 CEST, making it a comfortable evening watch across Europe. Asian and Oceanian fans face an early-morning start, with the race at 04:00 JST. The sprint race at 12:00 local provides a 16:00 GMT window. Check United States time and Miami time for conversions.

May in South Florida is hot and humid, with temperatures regularly exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and a significant chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Tyre degradation is high, and the heat pushes both cars and drivers to their limits. Miami has leaned hard into the spectacle side of F1, with the paddock area designed for hospitality and entertainment, and the race weekend functioning more like a festival than a traditional Grand Prix.

See the full race schedule and session times at the Miami Grand Prix page.

The 2026 Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome starts at 15:00 EDT (UTC-4) on Sunday 3 May. The 5.412 km circuit runs 57 laps for a race distance of 308.48 km.

This is a sprint weekend. Saturday’s sprint race goes at 12:00 EDT (16:00 GMT), awarding points to the top eight finishers before the main race on Sunday.

The Miami International Autodrome wraps around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and the stadium’s presence is not incidental. The circuit actually passes underneath the stadium’s south end zone structure at Turn 6, one of the more surreal pieces of infrastructure in Formula 1. The long back straight into Turn 17 is the overtaking highway, with a DRS zone long enough to give chasing drivers a genuine run. Turn 11 through 12 is the circuit’s technical heart: a slow chicane where braking commitment and car rotation determine lap time through the whole middle sector.

Miami in May means track surface temperatures that regularly hit 55 degrees Celsius. At those temperatures, tire compounds that felt stable in practice begin to degrade by the second stint, turning every pit wall call into a judgment about how much life remains in rubber that is visually intact but thermally finished. It is one of the reasons Miami has produced four different race winners across four editions.

The race that defined the venue arrived in 2024. Lando Norris took a dominant victory in a McLaren that had found something no other team could match, emerging from the strategic battle to win by over 7 seconds over Verstappen. It was the moment the paddock accepted that McLaren had genuinely closed the performance gap. For a race that critics had initially dismissed as a marketing exercise, Miami 2024 was a credibility event.

When is the Miami Grand Prix? Lights out at 15:00 EDT on Sunday May 3 is 20:00 BST and 21:00 CEST, putting European viewers in comfortable Sunday evening territory. The Saturday sprint at 12:00 EDT is 17:00 BST and 18:00 CEST. Australian and Japanese fans face the least friendly timing: 05:00 Monday AEST and 04:00 Monday JST. Check United States time for the exact start where you are.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time did the Miami Grand Prix start?

The Miami Grand Prix started at 13:00 local time in Miami Gardens on 2026-05-03. This page shows the start time converted to your local timezone.

Where is the Miami Grand Prix held?

The Miami Grand Prix takes place at Miami in Miami Gardens, United States.

Was the Miami Grand Prix a sprint weekend?

Yes, the Miami Grand Prix was a sprint weekend with an additional sprint race on Saturday.