News Summary
- The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, September 26, instead of Sunday.
- Sunday coincides with Azerbaijan’s Memorial Day, a national day of mourning connected to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
- Practice begins on Thursday, with qualifying on Friday and the race starting at 12:00 UK and 07:00 ET on Saturday.
Formula 1 will follow an unusual timetable at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the race taking place on Saturday, September 26 rather than its traditional Sunday slot.
The change is unrelated to television scheduling, logistics or an attempt to reproduce the night-race format used in Las Vegas. Instead, Formula 1 has brought the entire Baku weekend forward by 24 hours to respect a significant date in Azerbaijan’s national calendar.
Sunday, September 27 is observed in the country as Memorial Day, a national day of mourning for those killed during the 2020 conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
At the request of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix promoter and local government authorities, Formula 1 and the FIA agreed to move the race from Sunday to Saturday.
“Following a request from the Azerbaijan promoter and relevant government stakeholders, Formula 1 and the FIA have agreed to move the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from Sunday, September 27 to Saturday, September 26 to accommodate a national day,” F1 said when confirming the change.
The 2026 Azerbaijan GP will be held on Saturday, September 26 (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)
2026 Azerbaijan GP schedule
The change affects every Formula 1 session in Baku. Practice will begin on Thursday, qualifying will take place on Friday and the Grand Prix will be held on Saturday.
| Session | Date | UK | ET | Local time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP1 | Thursday, September 24 | 09:30 | 04:30 | 12:30 |
| FP2 | Thursday, September 24 | 13:00 | 08:00 | 16:00 |
| FP3 | Friday, September 25 | 09:30 | 04:30 | 12:30 |
| Qualifying | Friday, September 25 | 13:00 | 08:00 | 16:00 |
| Azerbaijan GP | Saturday, September 26 | 12:00 | 07:00 | 15:00 |
The race therefore begins at 15:00 in Baku, 12:00 in the United Kingdom and 07:00 on the US East Coast.
Why is September 27 important in Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan officially observes September 27 as Memorial Day. The date marks the beginning of the 44-day war fought between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2020 over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The conflict started on September 27 and continued until November, causing thousands of deaths. Azerbaijan subsequently established the date as a day to commemorate the military personnel killed during the fighting.
Official ceremonies, tributes and moments of silence are held across the country. Staging a Formula 1 Grand Prix on the same day would conflict with the solemn nature of the observance.
Moving only the race was not a practical option because the conventional F1 format requires three practice sessions before qualifying. The complete programme was consequently shifted forward, creating a Thursday-to-Saturday event.
Is the Azerbaijan GP normally held on Saturday?
No. Previous Azerbaijan Grands Prix have been held on Sundays, in accordance with the conventional Formula 1 weekend format.
The 2026 change is a one-off arrangement made in response to the national observance rather than a permanent alteration to Baku’s race schedule.
Las Vegas is the other Saturday race on the 2026 calendar. Its schedule is designed around a late-night local start, which places the race in the early hours of Sunday morning for European viewers. Baku, by contrast, will start at 15:00 local time on Saturday afternoon.
The Azerbaijan timetable also means teams and drivers will have one fewer day than usual between arriving in Baku and beginning their on-track programmes. Media activities and circuit preparations traditionally completed on Thursday must be brought forward accordingly.
The Baku City Circuit remains unchanged. Drivers will compete on the 6.003km street circuit, which combines the narrow section surrounding the Old City with one of the longest flat-out stretches on the Formula 1 calendar.
The event follows the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid and begins the next phase of the 2026 championship. Andrea Kimi Antonelli arrives in Azerbaijan with an 81-point lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell after winning the inaugural race at Madring.
Formula 1 begins its Azerbaijan GP weekend with FP1 on Thursday, September 24 at 09:30 UK and 04:30 ET. The Grand Prix starts on Saturday at 12:00 UK and 07:00 ET.
F1 today: FAQ
What time is Singapore GP sprint qualifying today?
Sprint qualifying starts at 20:30 Singapore time on Friday, October 9, equivalent to 13:30 BST in the UK, 08:30 ET in the United States and Canada, and 18:00 IST in India. The session determines the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint.
Who was fastest in Singapore GP FP1?
George Russell topped FP1 with a 1:32.274, driving Mercedes’ older W17 aerodynamic specification. Charles Leclerc finished second, 0.198s behind, followed by Lando Norris in third. Kimi Antonelli was seventh with the upgraded Mercedes, while Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th.
Why is George Russell using the old Mercedes at the Singapore GP?
Mercedes is comparing its previous W17 specification with the aerodynamic upgrade introduced at Sepang. Russell is using the older package, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli retains the new version. Russell led FP1, but differences in tyre compounds and run programmes mean the result alone does not establish which specification is faster.
Why is the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday?
The race was moved because Sunday, September 27 is Azerbaijan’s Memorial Day, a national day of mourning connected to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
