The Azerbaijan Grand Prix breaks its own pattern in 2026. For the first time since Baku joined the calendar, race day is on Saturday instead of Sunday.
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on Saturday 26 September because of Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day. The entire weekend has shifted one day earlier practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday, and the race on Saturday at 3:00 PM local time (12:00 PM UK).
Why is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on a Saturday in 2026?
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix moved to Saturday 26 September because Sunday 27 September is Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day. That’s a national day of mourning for the 2,783 soldiers killed during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and the Azerbaijan government asked F1 to shift the entire weekend one day earlier rather than clash with it.
Baku becomes one of only two Saturday races on the 2026 calendar, alongside Las Vegas. The change moves everything forward. Practice now runs on Thursday instead of Friday. Qualifying lands on Friday instead of Saturday. The race itself runs Saturday instead of Sunday.
2026 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX SCHEDULE
All times below come directly from F1’s own official 2026 timetable. Every session runs local Baku time (AZT, UTC+4).
WHAT TIME DOES THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX START
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts at 3:00 PM local Baku time on Saturday 26 September. Azerbaijan sits three hours ahead of the UK in September, which puts lights out at noon UK time.
WHERE IS THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX HELD
The race runs on the Baku City Circuit, a temporary street track built through the heart of Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital on the Caspian Sea.
The circuit opened in 2016 and holds an FIA Grade 1 licence, the same top rating held by permanent facilities. It winds from Azadliq Square, past Government House, out along the Caspian shoreline, and up through Baku’s medieval Old City before returning to the start-finish straight.
WHAT IS THE BAKU CITY CIRCUIT LIKE
Baku is the fastest street circuit on the F1 calendar, and the contrast is the whole story. A long, flat-out straight along the Caspian waterfront lets cars reach speeds few street circuits get close to, while the middle sector squeezes down into tight, technical, walled-in corners through the Old City.
That combination produces a genuinely unusual driving challenge. Cars need low drag and straight-line speed for the long runs, but real downforce and confidence for the technical section, and no setup fully satisfies both at once. It’s also why Baku’s long main straight tends to produce some of the biggest slipstream battles of the season.
THE OLD CITY SECTION AND CASTLE CORNERS
Turns 8 through 12 form the part of the lap everyone remembers. The track threads past the 12th-century walls of Icherisheher, Baku’s UNESCO-listed Old City, narrowing to around 7.6 metres wide at its tightest point.
That’s tight enough that two F1 cars genuinely cannot run side by side there. Barriers sit close to the cars through this whole section, so a small mistake tends to end a session rather than just cost a driver time. Charles Leclerc found that out the hard way in 2019 qualifying, crashing twice in the same session and calling himself “stupid” over team radio.
Robert Kubica crashed in the same section that weekend too, triggering two separate red flags. The castle section is slow and technical by Baku standards, but it’s also where the race’s biggest swings tend to happen.
AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RACE HISTORY
Baku has produced a genuinely wild history for a track barely a decade old. Nico Rosberg won the first race here in 2016, back when it ran as the European Grand Prix rather than the Azerbaijan GP.
Daniel Ricciardo pulled off one of the sport’s bigger upsets in the 2017 opener, winning from tenth on the grid while Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel clashed behind the safety car. Charles Leclerc set the current lap record here in 2019, 1:43.009, a time nobody has beaten since.
2021 delivered one of the most dramatic finishes in recent F1 history. Max Verstappen suffered a tyre failure while leading late on, Lance Stroll suffered one too, and Sergio Pérez won after a two-lap restart, with Hamilton missing out after an in-cockpit brake setting mistake cost him the lead.
Pérez became Baku’s first two-time winner in 2023. Oscar Piastri took his second career win here in 2024, beating Leclerc to it. Verstappen delivered a near-perfect weekend in 2025, taking pole, fastest lap, and the win while leading every lap.
Seven different drivers won the first six races held at this circuit, a run of unpredictability few tracks can match. Red Bull is the most successful constructor at Baku with five wins across the venue’s history.
WHERE TO WATCH THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2026
UK Viewers
Sky Sports F1 carries every session live. Since Azerbaijan runs three hours ahead of the UK in September, expect an earlier-than-usual viewing schedule, with the race itself airing around midday. Free highlights follow on Channel 4.
US Viewers
ESPN carries live coverage with a subscription, alongside F1 TV Pro for full onboard access.
Everywhere Else
F1 TV Pro covers every session in most remaining countries, including onboard cameras and team radio.
AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX TICKETS AND GRANDSTANDS
Baku’s grandstands split roughly into two experiences. Seats like the Bulvar and Azneft grandstands sit along the long Caspian-side straights, built for watching top-speed racing and close overtaking battles. Seats closer to the Old City, like the Icherisheher grandstand, put fans right against the castle walls for the tightest, most technical part of the lap.
General admission tickets let fans move around the circuit perimeter rather than committing to one grandstand. 2026 tickets have been listed from around €550 for the full race weekend through official resale channels, though prices vary by seat and by how close to the race you book.
TRAVEL GUIDE FOR THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
Most passport holders from the UK, US, Australia, and Europe can apply for Azerbaijan’s ASAN e-Visa online, covering a 30-day tourist stay for around $20 plus a small processing fee. Azerbaijan runs on AZT, UTC+4, with the Azerbaijani Manat (AZN) as the local currency and cards widely accepted in Baku.
Late September brings mild weather, with highs around 22 to 25°C and cooler evenings, plus the odd gust of wind off the Caspian, so a light windproof layer is worth packing alongside sunscreen.
Baku’s metro and app-based taxis like Bolt cover the city well, and there’s no visitor parking directly at the circuit, so most fans walk in from central hotels or take public transport. Power sockets are the standard European Type C and Type F.
FAQ
Sunday 27 September 2026 is Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day, a national day of mourning. The whole race weekend shifted one day earlier to avoid clashing with it, moving the race itself to Saturday 26 September.
The race runs on the Baku City Circuit, a temporary street circuit through central Baku, Azerbaijan, along the Caspian Sea.
The race runs 51 laps of the 6.003 km circuit, covering a total race distance of 306.049 km.
The official lap record is 1:43.009, set by Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari during the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
2026 race weekend tickets have been listed from around €550 through official channels, with prices varying by grandstand and how early you book.
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