Formula 1 concludes its European segment of the 2026 calendar with the popular Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the Drivers' Championship enters a pivotal period.
Kimi Antonelli extended his advantage at the top of the standings to a mammoth 81 points with his eighth victory of the season in the Spanish Grand Prix, making it back-to-back successes following his impressive triumph at Monza a week earlier.
His closest rival in the championship is Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who was just shy of 30 seconds off the pace of Antonelli at the Madring, and the Briton has his work cut out to turn the tide with nine scheduled races remaining.
Azerbaijan marks the start of a triple header before visits to Malaysia and Singapore, and this race weekend is set to start a day earlier than normal with practice on Thursday, qualifying taking place on Friday and the race pencilled in for Saturday.
Why is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on a Saturday?
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit will take place a day earlier on Saturday 26th September because Sunday 27th September marks Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day.
Dedicated to military personnel who perished during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (The Patriotic War), Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day was established by presidential decree in December 2020 and is held annually on 27th September, the day when the war began.
The change to this year’s schedule was made to respect the Azerbaijan Remembrance Day “following a request from the Azerbaijan promoter and relevant government stakeholders”.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will not be the only race staged on a Saturday this season. Since being introduced to the calendar in 2023, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has adopted a unique Saturday night slot in an attempt to attract as many global viewers.
In 2024, races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia took place on a Saturday due to the start and end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
