Formula 1 launches its inaugural triple‑header of the 2026 campaign this weekend, beginning with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Unlike the usual Sunday race, the Baku event is scheduled for Saturday, turning what was meant to be a stand‑alone round into the first leg of three consecutive race weekends. The original plan had Singapore following two weeks later, but a reshuffle that moved the Bahrain Grand Prix to Malaysia created a three‑week stretch of back‑to‑back events, and two further triple‑headers are slated to close out the season. What should fans and teams anticipate from the Azerbaijan‑Malaysia‑Singapore sequence, and how will it reshape the championship landscape that currently shows Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli with a sizable advantage?
Antonelli’s win in Madrid was partly a product of timing – the Virtual Safety Car came out at just the right moment for him and at the wrong time for McLaren’s Lando Norris – but the Italian was also delivering a strong performance at a brand‑new venue and was ready to seize any opportunity. That victory marked his eighth triumph in fourteen races, giving him an 81‑point cushion at the top of the Drivers’ Championship as he heads into Baku.
Since the British Grand Prix in early July, when his lead over teammate George Russell narrowed to 25 points, Antonelli has steadily expanded his margin each weekend, now sitting at a season‑high. Russell remains his nearest rival, yet after finishing fifth in Madrid he has effectively conceded any realistic chance of overtaking his teammate, falling more than three race‑win equivalents behind. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari had already signalled his title hopes were over after a problematic weekend at Monza, and a brake failure in Madrid handed him his first retirement of the year, leaving him 101 points adrift.
Lando Norris, currently fourth in the standings and the most consistent challenger beside Antonelli, saw his gap swell to 106 points after a weekend where the reigning champion missed out on a potential third win in four races. All signs point to Antonelli as the overwhelming favorite, though the 20‑year‑old appears to shoulder the pressure with a calm mantra: he repeatedly claims he does not think about the championship.
Team principal Toto Wolff corroborates that this attitude is genuine and beneficial for the young driver. Nonetheless, the clock is ticking for any challenger to string together a remarkable run of form in the remaining rounds. With 83 points available across the three Grand Prix events – 75 from the races themselves and an additional eight from the Singapore Sprint – Mercedes cannot become complacent.
If Antonelli can preserve or even extend his lead after the Singapore weekend on 11 October, his odds of becoming the sport’s youngest world champion will become astronomically high, even though a maximum of six races (150 points) will still be up for grabs. The opening round at the Baku City Circuit is a high‑speed street layout that hugs the city’s walls, often delivering some of the most dramatic races in its decade‑long tenure. Last year’s edition featured a record six red‑flag interruptions in qualifying and a race won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after title‑favorite Oscar Piastri crashed out within the first six corners.
Antonelli, who debuted in Baku last season with a fourth‑place finish and previously earned an F2 podium, will be keen to avoid those pitfalls, especially as Mercedes is expected to be strong on the long straights, much like at Monza. "Baku is completely different from Madrid – it has slow‑speed corners, massive straights and therefore a lower down‑force setup," former champion Nico Rosberg explained on The F1 Show podcast. "Engine power always favours Mercedes in that scenario. We saw it in Monza, so I think Mercedes will be the big favourite.
Max Verstappen was fast in Monza, so maybe he could surprise us here." The second leg of the triple‑header takes us to Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit, returning after a nine‑year hiatus. Sepang has long been a driver favourite, known for its sweeping turns and hot, humid conditions that test both car and crew.
Ten current drivers were on the grid when F1 last visited in 2017, and while some, like Alex Albon and Liam Lawson, have driven there in junior categories, most of the current field – including Antonelli, Russell and Norris – have only experienced the circuit virtually. Even the most advanced simulators cannot fully replicate Sepang’s oppressive heat and humidity, a factor that will also be familiar to drivers heading next to Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit, which has already proven to be the season’s most physically demanding venue. Singapore’s race weekend brings a new twist: for the first time in nine years the event will host a Sprint race, marking the sixth and final Sprint weekend of the season. Sprint weekends feature a reduced schedule – only one practice session before qualifying and the Sprint – increasing the likelihood of surprises and punishing any early mistakes in car set‑up.
The tight, wall‑lined Marina Bay circuit will amplify these challenges. Throughout the season, the development packages that leading teams bring to each venue continue to reshuffle the pecking order.
McLaren, having made significant progress, will introduce another upgrade to its MCL40 for Baku, aiming to improve on last year’s disappointment. Mercedes, meanwhile, plans to debut a long‑awaited upgrade for the Malaysia round.
The W17 has not seen a major single‑event upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix in May, a strategy that has allowed rivals like Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull to close the gap. Team principal Toto Wolff hinted that the Malaysian upgrade could bring Mercedes back level with its competitors, though he cautioned that on‑track performance does not always translate directly from the workshop. Mercedes also retains an ADUO power‑unit upgrade that could be deployed later in the season, possibly aligning with any grid‑penalty that Russell might serve.
Ferrari and Red Bull are expected to bring their own new parts to the triple‑header, as both teams have shown flashes of brilliance but have also suffered recurring setbacks. The central question remains: will Antonelli still be within realistic striking distance of the title by the season’s final races? With each weekend offering a chance to either widen or shrink the gap, the upcoming three‑race sprint will be decisive. Fans can catch the live action on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off on Saturday at midday, streamed via NOW without a contract and cancelable at any time.