Next F1 race now has a new date as Azerbaijan Grand Prix moved

The next F1 race in 2026 has a new date with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix moved to a Saturday start time.

The Baku City circuit - which made its F1 debut back in 2016 for the then European Grand Prix - will once again host the annual showpiece through the streets of the capital.

This year, for the first time ever and very unusually in the premier motorsport series, the race will take place on a Saturday. Currently Las Vegas is the only other location which holds a Grand Prix race on that day.

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Date changed to avoid clash with day of mourning

The reason for the change is a clash with Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day, which takes place annually on September 27. This year it falls on Grand Prix weekend in Baku.

It is a day of mourning for the soldiers who perished in the second Nagorno-Karabakh War - which broke out on September 27, 2020.

So instead of a traditional Friday-Sunday race weekend, we start proceedings with Free Practice 1 and 2 on Thursday September 24. The action gets under way on track at 0930 UK time (1230 local, 1030 CET, 0430 Eastern).

The action continues on Friday September 25 with Free Practice 3 and Qualifying, before the 51-lap Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on Saturday September 26.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli heads for Baku with an 81-point lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the title race while Lewis Hamilton is now 101 points adrift in third.

Mercedes are dominant in the Constructors' standings with a massive 145-point lead over Ferrari.

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