Formula 1 launches the season's inaugural triple‑header this weekend, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Unlike the usual Sunday race, the Baku event is slated for Saturday, marking a departure from the original plan that had it as a stand‑alone round with the Singapore Grand Prix two weeks later. The reshuffle was triggered by the relocation of the Bahrain Grand Prix to Malaysia, which created three consecutive race weekends. Two additional triple‑headers are also on the calendar to close out the 2026 campaign, making this stretch a crucial test for drivers and teams alike.
What can fans anticipate from the Azerbaijan‑Malaysia‑Singapore sequence, and how will it reshape the championship landscape that currently shows Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli with a sizable lead? Antonelli’s most recent triumph in Madrid was aided by a well‑timed Virtual Safety Car that benefited him while hampering McLaren’s Lando Norris, who had been leading the race. Nevertheless, Antonelli was already in a strong position at the new Baku circuit and was poised to capitalize on any fortunate circumstances. The victory in Madrid was Antonelli’s eighth of the fourteen races he has contested so far, and it leaves him entering Baku with an 81‑point cushion at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
After his advantage over teammate George Russell narrowed to 25 points at the British Grand Prix in early July, Antonelli has extended his lead at each of the subsequent five rounds, reaching a season‑high margin. Russell remains the nearest challenger, but his title aspirations have effectively faded after a fifth‑place finish in Madrid left him more than three race‑wins behind the Italian.
Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari had already signalled that his championship hopes were slim following the previous weekend’s race at Monza, and brake failures in Madrid resulted in his first retirement of the year, widening the gap to 101 points. Lando Norris, who has been the most consistent rival to Antonelli, saw his deficit swell to 106 points after a weekend where the reigning champion was unlucky not to secure a third win in four races.
All indicators suggest the championship is heavily weighted in Antonelli’s favour, yet the 20‑year‑old appears to shoulder the pressure of being the clear favourite with a calm demeanor. He repeatedly emphasizes that he is "not thinking about the championship" in interviews, a stance that team principal Toto Wolff affirms as genuine and beneficial for the young driver’s mindset. The clock is ticking for any challenger to string together a remarkable run of form in the remaining rounds.
However, with 83 points still available during this first triple‑header – 75 from the three Grand Prix races and an additional eight from the Singapore Sprint – Mercedes cannot afford complacency. If Antonelli maintains or expands his current 81‑point lead after the Singapore finale on October 11, the probability of him becoming the sport’s youngest world champion will become exceedingly high, even though a maximum of six races (150 points) will remain. The opening leg of this intense autumn stretch is the Baku City Circuit, a high‑speed street layout that threads through Azerbaijan’s capital. The track’s long straights, tight walls, and low‑downforce configuration make it one of the most dramatic venues on the calendar.
Last year’s event featured a record six red‑flag interruptions in qualifying and a race won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after title‑favourite Oscar Piastri crashed out within the first six corners. Antonelli, who finished fourth on his Baku debut last season and earned an F2 podium the year before, will be keen to avoid similar mishaps. Mercedes, like at Monza, is expected to excel on the circuit’s power‑heavy demands.
"Baku is completely different from Madrid. It has slow‑speed corners, massive straights, and consequently a lower down‑force setup for those long sections," former driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst Nico Rosberg explained on The F1 Show podcast.
"Engine power always favors Mercedes in that way – we saw it in Monza, so I think Mercedes will be the big favourite. Max Verstappen was fast in Monza, so maybe Verstappen can be the surprise there." Following Baku, the calendar heads to Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit for the first time in nine years. Sepang, which hosted F1 from 1999 to 2017, is beloved by drivers for its sweeping turns and the challenge of racing in hot, humid conditions. Ten current drivers were on the grid when F1 last visited Sepang, and while some, like Alex Albon and Liam Lawson, have driven there in junior categories, many—including Antonelli, Russell and Norris—have only experienced the track in simulators.
Even the most advanced simulation tools cannot fully replicate Sepang’s oppressive heat and humidity, a factor that will test stamina and car reliability. Immediately after Malaysia, the series moves to Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit, a venue already notorious for its physical demands. This year, however, Singapore will host a Sprint race for the first time, marking the sixth and final Sprint weekend of the season.
Sprint weekends compress the schedule, offering only a single practice session before qualifying and the Sprint itself, which heightens the risk of early mistakes and places a premium on getting the car set‑up right from the outset. The circuit’s unforgiving walls will amplify this pressure.
Upgrade packages will continue to influence the competitive order throughout the triple‑header. McLaren, having made significant progress this season, will debut a fresh upgrade for the MCL40 in Baku, aiming to rectify the disappointment of last year’s performance on the street track. Mercedes, meanwhile, plans to introduce a long‑awaited upgrade for the W17 in Malaysia. The team has not rolled out a major package since the Canadian Grand Prix in May, a strategy that has allowed rivals such as Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull to close the gap.
Toto Wolff hinted that the Malaysian upgrade could bring Mercedes back on par with its competitors, though he cautioned that the correlation between wind‑tunnel data and on‑track performance is not always straightforward. In addition to the chassis upgrades, Mercedes retains an ADUO power‑unit update that could be deployed later in the season, potentially aligning with the race where Russell is expected to serve an engine‑grid penalty.
Ferrari and Red Bull are also expected to bring new components to the triple‑header, as both teams have shown flashes of brilliance but have also suffered from consistency issues. Looking ahead, the question remains whether Antonelli will stay within realistic striking distance of the championship by the final races of 2026.
With the remaining rounds offering a total of 150 points, a dramatic swing is still mathematically possible, but the odds are increasingly stacked against any challenger. Fans can tune in to watch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this Saturday, as Sky Sports F1 provides live coverage throughout the triple‑header.
The race will be streamed via NOW, offering a contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time. The upcoming weeks promise high drama, strategic intrigue, and the potential for a historic title run that could see a 20‑year‑old driver etch his name into Formula 1 lore.