F1 returns to the Baku City Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend and round 15 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli continued his brilliant form at the Spanish Grand Prix last time out, winning the first event held on the new Madrid street track after benefiting from a well-timed safety car period early on. Antonelli now leads the world championship by 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Max Verstappen finished second in Madrid with pole-sitter Lando Norris having to settle for third. Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire after a brake issue in his Ferrari car and the Briton now trails Antonelli by a mammoth 101 points with nine rounds remaining.
This year’s race in Baku will take place on a Saturday because Sunday, 27 September marks Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day, with the whole schedule shifting forward by one day to avoid a clash with a national day of mourning.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Why is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday?
The race in Baku is taking place on Saturday to avoid a direct clash with Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day, which takes place on 27 September every year.
It is a national day of mourning dedicated to military personnel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who lost their lives during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, when 2,783 soldiers were killed during six weeks of fighting.
It is the first Saturday race since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year, which is always held on Saturday night in Sin City. The Bahrain and Saudi grands prix in 2024 were also held on Saturdays due to the start of Ramadan.
The change essentially means everything moves forward a day.
When is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Times BST
Thursday 24 September
- Free practice 1: 9:30am
- Free practice 2: 1pm
Saturday 25 September
- Free practice 3: 9:30am
- Qualifying: 1pm
Sunday 26 September
- Race: 12pm
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 10:30am (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action from Baku on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
In the United States, every practice, qualifying and race session is streamed on Apple TV this year. You can stream Apple TV for FREE, with Apple TV’s seven-day free trial.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch, then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help.
Driver standings ahead of Azerbaijan GP
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 292 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 211 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 191 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 186 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 167 points
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 145 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 120 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 71 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 59 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 31 points
12. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 27 points
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 18 points
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 10 points
15. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 7 points
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 6 points
17. Alex Albon (Williams) - 5 points
18. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 3 points
19. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 3 points
20. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) - 1 point
21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 0 points
23. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 0 points
Constructor standings ahead of Azerbaijan GP
1. Mercedes - 503 points
2. Ferrari - 358 points
3. McLaren - 306 points
4. Red Bull - 230 points
5. Racing Bulls - 77 points
6. Alpine - 68 points
7. Haas - 21 points
8. Audi - 17 points
9. Williams - 11 points
10. Aston Martin - 3 points
11. Cadillac - 0 points
What is the 2026 race calendar?
ROUND 15 - AZERBAIJAN
Baku City Circuit - 25-27 September
ROUND 16 - MALAYSIA/BAHRAIN
Sepang International Circuit - 2-4 October
ROUND 17 - SINGAPORE (sprint weekend)
Marina Bay Street Circuit - 9-11 October
ROUND 18 - UNITED STATES
Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 23-25 October
ROUND 19 - MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 30 October-1 November
ROUND 20 - BRAZIL
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 6-8 November
ROUND 21 - LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit - 19-21 November
ROUND 22 - QATAR
Lusail International Circuit - 27-29 November
ROUND 23 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 4-6 December
Read MoreFIA cancels Saudi Arabia race as Qatar and Abu Dhabi decision looms for Formula 1
Lando Norris pulls out of popular golf event due to injury days before next F1 race
Australia makes call on 2027 F1 season-opener contingency: ‘Our date is locked in’
F1 Azerbaijan GP schedule: Race start time and TV coverage
F1 standings after Spanish GP as Kimi Antonelli extends lead to George Russell
FIA cancels Saudi Arabia race as Qatar and Abu Dhabi decision looms for F1
