Azerbaijan GP 2026: Baku race moves to Saturday as Antonelli eyes title charge

Formula 1 will race in Azerbaijan on a Saturday as the sport returns to the Baku City Circuit for what often proves one of the season's most incident-filled events. The race weekend runs from September 24-26 and opens a flyaway triple header, with trips to Malaysia and Singapore to follow.

Why is the Azerbaijan GP on a Saturday?

The Baku race takes place a day earlier than normal (Saturday, September 26) because Sunday September 27 is Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day. That means the opening two practice sessions are on Thursday, qualifying is on Friday and the Grand Prix itself is on the Saturday.

Azerbaijan is three hours ahead of the UK, so sessions are slightly earlier than during the European season: qualifying at 1pm UK time and the Grand Prix at midday.

Antonelli in command of the title fight

Kimi Antonelli leads the world championship by 81 points after consecutive wins in Monza and Madrid, and time is running out for his would-be title challengers to put a run together, with eight rounds scheduled to remain after Baku.

But, as then-title leader Oscar Piastri found to his cost at last year's race, the wall-lined Baku circuit can certainly bite if you make a mistake, with challenges present all round the fast and tricky layout.

The Baku City Circuit

Located in the country on the Caspian Sea where Europe meets Asia, the 6.003km (3.7-mile) Baku City Circuit joined the F1 calendar in 2016, initially running under the European Grand Prix title before taking the country's name from 2017. It is one of the sport's faster street tracks, with drivers topping 200mph down the 1.4-mile main straight — the longest of the whole season — where slipstreaming and overtaking opportunities abound and cars can go up to three abreast into Turn 1.

The big Turn One braking zone was the scene of a crash between Red Bull team-mates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo in 2018. After two shorter straights connected by classic 90-degree street-circuit turns, the track heads into the twister ancient part of the city, including the narrowest piece of track of the whole season: the 7.6-metre Turn Eight-Nine 'castle' chicane past the city's UNESCO-protected medieval area. The inaugural Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017 produced one of the season's biggest upsets, with Daniel Ricciardo winning from Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll, while Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel engaged in some argy-bargy behind the Safety Car.

As in Monaco, the slightest mistakes are punished quickly and severely, and teams must choose between downforce for the twisty sections and less drag for the straight. The race runs over 51 laps for a distance of 306.049km, with the fastest lap a 1:43.009 set by Charles Leclerc in 2019.

Weather

Conditions in Baku are set to be warm and dry throughout race week, with temperature highs in the mid-20s.

UK schedule and how to watch

Wednesday September 23: Drivers' Press Conference (11am), Paddock Uncut (2pm)
Thursday September 24: Practice One at 9.30am, Team Bosses' Press Conference (12pm), Practice Two at 1pm
Friday September 25: Practice Three at 9.30am, Qualifying at 1pm, Ted's Qualifying Notebook (3pm)
Saturday September 26: Grand Prix Sunday build-up (10.30am), the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at 12pm, Chequered Flag reaction (2pm)

Sky customers can watch every session on Sky Sports F1 (sessions also live on Sky Sports Main Event) and via the Sky Sports app, with the option to go onboard with any driver. Non-Sky customers can stream with a NOW Day or Month pass, and free highlights are available shortly after the chequered flag on the Sky Sports app.

Where to watch trackside

The principal Absheron grandstand at the end of the main straight is high on any viewing wish-list, as fans watch cars braking from around 350km/h into the 90-degree Turn 1 — and the lion's share of overtaking. The Icheri Sheher grandstand offers a unique vantage point as cars wriggle through the city gate section and power down to the super-fast Turn 13-15 complex.