The Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix runs from Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, September 26, 2026, in Baku. The entire weekend schedule has been shifted forward by 24 hours to accommodate Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day on September 27, featuring Friday qualifying and a 51-lap race on Saturday.
Fantasy & Market Impact
The 2026 Baku Schedule Shift and Regional Broadcast Realities
Formula 1 returns from its European summer break to a Baku weekend that looks nothing like the rest of the calendar. This one doesn’t.
The adjustment is a scheduling accommodation rather than a format experiment. F1 and the FIA agreed to move the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from Sunday, September 27, to Saturday, September 26, at the request of the Azerbaijan promoter and government stakeholders. September 27 marks the country’s Remembrance Day, a national day of mourning connected to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Consequently, the entire weekend has been brought forward by 24 hours. Two practice sessions run on Thursday, final practice and qualifying take place on Friday, and the 51-lap race hits lights out at 15:00 local time on Saturday. For fans in the Southern Hemisphere and Asia, that means qualifying lands late Friday night, while the race becomes a Saturday-evening broadcast in Australia and New Zealand.
Global Broadcast Rights and Where to Watch
Navigating the broadcast landscape for this unique Saturday race requires attention to regional rights holders. In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports F1 carries every session live, while Channel 4 provides highlights rather than live coverage.
In the United States, Apple TV holds exclusive live rights to the full F1 season for 2026. This means traditional outlets like ESPN and ABC will not air the event; fans require an Apple TV subscription or its trial period to stream sessions live. Canadian viewers can access English-language coverage on TSN and French-language coverage on RDS, with TSN+ handling streaming feeds.
Across the globe, Fox Sports and Foxtel carry every Grand Prix in Australia, with Kayo Sports serving as the primary streaming option. New Zealand viewers follow the action on Sky Sport, and FanCode remains the exclusive broadcast partner for every session in India under a deal running through 2028.
The Baku City Circuit Data Profile
| Session | Baku (Local) | London (UK) | US East Coast (ET) | Sydney (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP1 — Thu 24 Sep | 12:30 | 09:30 | 04:30 | 18:30 |
| FP2 — Thu 24 Sep | 16:00 | 13:00 | 08:00 | 22:00 |
| FP3 — Fri 25 Sep | 12:30 | 09:30 | 04:30 | 18:30 |
| Qualifying — Fri 25 Sep | 16:00 | 13:00 | 08:00 | 22:00 (Fri) |
| Race — Sat 26 Sep | 15:00 | 12:00 | 07:00 | 21:00 |
Championship Context and the Road Ahead
The Antonelli-Russell battle at the top of the standings remains fiercely contested. While Antonelli commands an 81-point advantage, Singapore stands as his earliest mathematical opportunity to secure the crown. Baku offers no room for complacency, especially with rival garages seeking to exploit any setup errors forced by the compressed timetable.
The tactical whiteboard is set, the broadcast channels are aligned for a Saturday showdown, and the garage crews are already processing early data.
Disclaimer: The fantasy and market insights provided are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute financial or betting advice.
