Azerbaijan Grand Prix format change explained after key Baku decision
Formula 1 and the FIA advanced the 2026 weekend after Azerbaijani officials requested the change to avoid a clash with Remembrance Day.
- The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, September 26, in Baku after Formula 1 officials shifted the entire race weekend forward by 24 hours to accommodate local requirements.
- Organizers moved the race to avoid conflicting with Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day on September 27, a national day of mourning for 2,783 soldiers killed during the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
- Final practice and qualifying take place on Friday, September 25, with the 51-lap Azerbaijan Grand Prix starting at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday.
- While rare in the modern era, Saturday races have occurred throughout Formula 1 history, including recent events in Las Vegas, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia during the 2024 season.
- Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the world championship standings by 81 points over George Russell as Baku hosts the 15th round of the 2026 Formula One season.
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70 Articles
Instead of Sunday, as usual: it has to do with a war a few years ago, but in motorsport it is not the first time that happens.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Why is this F1 race on Saturday and not Sunday?
There was a time when non-Sunday main race days were quite common in Formula One. However, modern racing sees racing activities spread over a weekend, with the main event slated for Sunday. Here’s why the Azerbaijan GP is not following that template.
The only one who can fight with Kimi Antonelli is George Russell, who shares with the Bolognese the very fast Mercedes who is dominating the builders' standings. It's not by chance that...
Formula 1 will resume in Azerbaijan with the 15th race of the season. The race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which will be held over 51 laps, will begin on Saturday, September 26 at 15:00 CET (UTC+2).
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