The Formula 1 calendar places the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on a Saturday this year, a departure from the usual Sunday finish for most races. This scheduling quirk is tied to local observances and the logistics of a tightly packed three‑race swing that sees the sport travel from Baku to Malaysia and then Singapore.
By moving the event forward by one day, the organisers can fit practice sessions on Thursday, qualifying on Friday, and the main race on Saturday, ensuring the weekend concludes before the nation’s Remembrance Day on Sunday, September 27. Baku’s street circuit, officially known as the Baku City Circuit, first appeared on the F1 timetable in 2016.
Initially marketed as the European Grand Prix, the event adopted the country’s name from the following season and has quickly earned a reputation as one of the fastest and most unforgiving tracks on the schedule. The layout stretches 1.4 miles (2.23 km) along the waterfront for the longest straight of the whole championship, where cars routinely exceed 200 mph.
The sheer length of the straight creates massive slip‑streaming opportunities, allowing drivers to line up three‑wide in the final corners and produce dramatic overtakes. The circuit’s character changes dramatically after the straight. Turn 1 is a heavy braking zone that has produced several high‑profile incidents, most notably the 2018 collision between Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Following the opening sector, two shorter straights are linked by classic 90‑degree street‑circuit corners before the track dives into the historic core of Baku. Here, the narrowest segment of the season appears: the Turn 8‑9 "castle" chicane squeezes the racing line to just 7.6 metres between the barriers, threading the cars past UNESCO‑protected medieval architecture.
The combination of extreme speed and razor‑thin margins makes Baku a test of both outright pace and driver precision. The 2026 edition arrives with Kimi Antonelli firmly in control of the drivers’ championship, having amassed an 81‑point lead after back‑to‑back victories in Monza and Madrid. With eight races remaining after Baku, his rivals must seize every opportunity to close the gap.
However, the Baku circuit has a habit of reshuffling the order, as demonstrated by last year’s champion‑to‑be Oscar Piastri, who learned the hard way that a single mistake on the wall‑lined track can end a title bid in an instant. Weather forecasts predict warm, dry conditions throughout the weekend, with daytime temperatures hovering in the mid‑20s Celsius.
Such stable weather should allow teams to run consistent tyre strategies without the surprise of sudden rain, although the high ambient heat may influence tyre degradation on the long straight and the tight chicane sections. The official timetable is as follows: - **Wednesday, 23 September** – 11:00 am Drivers’ Press Conference; 2:00 pm Paddock Uncut. - **Thursday, 24 September** – 6:55 am Formula 2 practice; 9:00 am Azerbaijan GP Practice 1 (starts 9:30 am); 10:55 am Formula 2 qualifying; 12:00 pm Team Bosses’ Press Conference; 12:30 pm Azerbaijan GP Practice 2 (starts 1:00 pm); 2:15 pm The F1 Show. - **Friday, 25 September** – 5:10 am Formula 2 sprint; 9:15 am Azerbaijan GP Practice 3 (starts 9:30 am); 11:10 am Formula 2 Feature Race 1; 12:30 pm Build‑up to qualifying; 1:00 pm Azerbaijan GP Qualifying; 3:00 pm Ted’s Qualifying Notebook.
- **Saturday, 26 September** – 7:55 am Formula 2 Feature Race 2; 10:30 am Grand Prix start; 12:00 pm Azerbaijan Grand Prix; 2:00 pm Chequered‑Flag reaction; 3:00 pm Ted’s Notebook. All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 for Sky subscribers, with the option to stream via the Sky Sports app, where viewers can even select an onboard camera for any driver. Non‑Sky customers can access the coverage through the NOW streaming platform, which offers flexible day‑or‑month passes and can be used on more than 60 devices.
A live blog and post‑race highlights are also available for fans on the move. The decision to run the race on Saturday is not merely a calendar quirk; it reflects a careful balance between respecting national holidays, accommodating a triple‑header swing, and maximising global viewership. Azerbaijan sits three hours ahead of the United Kingdom, so qualifying is scheduled for 1:00 pm local time and the race for 12:00 pm, allowing European audiences to tune in during their morning hours.
This timing also helps avoid a clash with the country’s Remembrance Day ceremonies on Sunday, ensuring that the Grand Prix does not interfere with national observances. In summary, the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix offers a unique blend of blistering speed, historic scenery, and strategic scheduling.
Fans can expect high‑octane action on the longest straight of the season, tight battles through the narrow medieval chicane, and the ever‑present possibility of a dramatic incident that could reshape the championship standings. Whether you are watching on television, streaming via NOW, or following the live blog, the Saturday race promises to be a highlight of the autumn F1 calendar.