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Formula 1 drivers are eager to return to racing after a five-week break due to cancellations related to the Iran war, but rain is forecasted for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.
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Italian Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes-AMG Petronas listens to French Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar of Red Bull Racing at a news conference Thursday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Greg Nash/UPI
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., April 30 (UPI) -- Formula 1 drivers are eager to return after a five-week layoff caused by Iran war-related cancelations, but a stormy forecast looms over the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.
The event -- originally set to be the sixth of the season -- will be held Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome, a track built around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
"It's been a very long break, and unusual, because when you get such a long period so early in the season, you kinda feel a bit awkward because you are just getting into the rhythm of the calendar," Kimi Antonelli said Thursday at Miami Grand Prix media day.
Antonelli won the two most recent races, the March 15 Chinese Grand Prix and March 29 Japanese Grand Prix. He finished second at the March 8 Australian Grand Prix, which opened the Formula 1 season.
George Russell, his Mercedes teammate, won that race. Russell finished second in China.
Turn two is seen before the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on Thursday at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Greg Nash/UPI
The five-week break was caused by cancellations related to the Iran war.
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome.
There is a stormy forecast looming over the Miami Grand Prix, which could impact the race.
Drivers, including Kimi Antonelli, feel that the long break has been unusual and awkward as they were just getting into the rhythm of the season.

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Ferrari's Charle Leclerc finished third in Australia and Japan. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, placed third in China. McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who placed second in Japan, was the only other driver to reach the podium through three races.
Piastri, the defending Miami Grand Prix champion, said he doesn't see the 35-day break between races as a season restart, but believes drivers will return with major upgrades to improved cars.
The McLaren F1 Team works on intermediate tires before the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on Thursday at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Greg Nash/UPI
"Mercedes is very strong at the moment, [but] hopefully we can close the gap," Piastri said. "The championship is far from over at this point."
Many drivers said they prioritized time with family and friends during the break. They also used race simulators when they weren't jumping into other races outside of Formula 1.
The outside of turn one is seen before the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on Thursday at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Greg Nash/UPI
"I think the fact of just being away from the race track for five weeks started to itch me a lot," said Red Bull Racing's Isack Hadjar. "To be honest, I've been waiting for me to come back and drive. It's the driving part and the competition aspect I miss.
"I just want to get back to it. This long, long wait is enough for me to be in that mindset and to get back to competing."
Spanish Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin is interviewed before the Miami Grand Prix on Thursday at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Greg Nash/UPI
Russell is favored to win the Miami Grand Prix, a 57-lap race covering about 192 miles. Cars will speed well over 200 mph on the 19-turn course.
Relentless heat and scorching sunlight, which bathed the campus Thursday, are typically factors in the annual competition. But the 22-driver field could also face a slick surface and visibility issues, if they get to the starting line. Sunday's weather forecast features a high probability of heavy thunderstorms throughout the afternoon in Miami Gardens.
British Formula 1 driver Ollie Bearman of Haas F1 Team is seen before the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on Thursday at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Greg Nash/UPI
"It will be interesting," Piastri said. "I don't think many of us having driven these cars in the rain before. ... I think they are going to be challenging cars to drive in the rain just because some of quirks that they have. Normally, if it rains in Miami, it does it properly.
"We'll wait and see. It will be interesting, one way or another."
Piastri, 2024 winner Lando Norris and Leclerc are among the other Top 5 favorites to win in Miami Gardens. Leclerc sits in third place in the drivers' standings, behind Antonelli and Russell. Hamilton, Norris and Piastri round out the Top 6. Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson are the other Top 10 drivers.
An absence of two races on the schedule should tighten the standings down the stretch, as it didn't allow dominant drivers to earn up points and further improve their positions. Russell is nine points behind Antonelli, but 14 ahead of Leclerc. Norris and Piastri are separated by just four points. Bearman is just two points clear of Gasly.
"It's going to be a tough fight," Antonelli said. "I have a very tough teammate, who is up there. ... It's going be very tough. Ferrari are close. McLaren, we will see this weekend. We will see their true pace. Red Bull will get closer.
"I think, on my side, I'm just going to try to focus race by race, not trying to think about the end result or championship. Just try to stay as much as possible in the moment."