When Formula 1 arrives in Baku next week, the grand prix will be held on a Saturday — a first for the Azerbaijan round and only the second Saturday race on the 2026 calendar alongside Las Vegas in November. The change follows a formal request from the Azerbaijani promoter and the country's government: Azerbaijan Remembrance Day falls on Sunday 27 September each year, honouring those lost in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Racing on that date was not an option.
The entire weekend shifts forward by one day as a result. Media day is Wednesday 23 September. Free practice runs Thursday. Qualifying takes place Friday 25 September. The 51-lap race over the 6.003-kilometre Baku City Circuit starts Saturday 26 September. Teams will have one fewer day of on-track data before racing than they would under a standard Sunday format — a variable that could influence strategy calls on a circuit already known for unpredictability.
Audi's Biggest Update of 2026 Arrives in Baku
For the Audi Revolut F1 Team, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is shaping up to be a landmark weekend. The team is set to run a substantially revised aerodynamic package that will make the R26 look, in the team's own description, "completely different." The update was deliberately held back from earlier flyaway rounds, with Baku chosen as the most suitable venue for its introduction.
The timing reflects growing momentum. Audi has scored points in each of its last four Grands Prix — including Nico Hülkenberg's tenth-place finish at Madrid's Madring — after a difficult start to the season. Allan McNish has described the Hülkenberg–Bortoleto pairing as the right combination to extract development data, and Baku's stop-start rhythm, with 71 gear changes per lap and repeated full-throttle accelerations out of slow corners, is regarded internally as more suited to the R26's current characteristics than the high-speed circuits visited earlier in the year.
Antonelli and the Championship Picture
Kimi Antonelli arrives in Baku with an 81-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell after 14 rounds. His victory at the inaugural Madring race in Madrid extended what was already a commanding margin; Lewis Hamilton, who failed to finish in Madrid for the first time this season, now trails the leader by 101 points and is no longer in realistic title contention.
Lando Norris sits fourth overall on 186 points — just five behind Hamilton — making the fight for second in the standings arguably more interesting than the title race itself. Norris has historically performed well on street circuits, and Baku's combination of brute braking and commitment into narrow sections could suit his driving style. Charles Leclerc is fifth on 167 points.
The Baku City Circuit
No Formula 1 track demands more gear changes per lap than Baku. At 6.003 kilometres, the circuit winds through the medieval old city and past castle walls before opening onto a kilometre-long straight that produces top speeds approaching 350 km/h. The safety car has decided outcomes here before, and a compressed Saturday schedule adds extra uncertainty heading into race day. With Audi's major upgrade, a compressed weekend, and Antonelli closing in on a maiden world title, the 51 laps on Saturday afternoon carry considerable weight.