Azerbaijan Grand Prix moves to Saturday to avoid Remembrance Day clash
Saturday slot avoids national Remembrance Day
This year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place on Saturday afternoon, a day earlier than Formula One's traditional Sunday slot.
The change is to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan's national Remembrance Day, taking place on Sunday, 27 September. It means that the whole weekend schedule has been moved forward by a day.
The race will take place on Saturday at 12:00 (BST), with qualifying starting at 13:00 BST on Friday. The race is taking place at Baku City Circuit in the country's capital. Three practice sessions are scheduled across Thursday and Friday, with the first one starting at 09:30 BST on Thursday.
Why 27 September matters
Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day, first established by Presidential decree in December 2020, remembers military soldiers whose lives were lost in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. A total of 2,783 Azerbaijan soldiers died in the conflict. Remembrance Day is held on 27 September, marking the day the war started.
Not the first Saturday race
Since its inclusion as a regular Formula One race in November 2023, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is also regularly held on a Saturday night. Prior to the South African Grand Prix in 1985 — the last to be held on a Saturday until Las Vegas 2023 — races were often held on Saturdays, including the British Grand Prix.
Full weekend schedule (all times BST)
- Thursday, 24 September (09:30-10:30): Practice One
- Thursday, 24 September (13:00-14:00): Practice Two
- Friday, 25 September (09:30-10:30): Practice Three
- Friday, 25 September (13:00-14:00): Qualifying
- Saturday, 26 September (12:00): Race