F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule and times as race moved forward to avoid major clash

Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, 2026, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule and times as race moved forward

The full schedule for Baku this week

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Tuesday 22 September 2026 13:45

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F1 has an early start this week as the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix shuffles forward to avoid a major clash in Baku.

For the first time, race weekend in Baku will start 24 hours earlier than normal as the title race resumes with nine races remaining in the 2026 season.

Young Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli takes an 81-point lead over team-mate George Russell into the 51-lap showpiece around the streets of the capital.

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F1 fans should not there is a pretty major change to the schedule with the actual getting under way on Thursday, and the big race taking place on Saturday (September 26) and not Sunday.

The reason for the big change is that the annual Azerbaijan Remembrance Day takes place on September 27, and this year it clashes with the normal F1 Sunday race date. So everything on the grid moves forward by 24 hours.

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2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule

This is the full F1 schedule for Baku this week, starting on Thursday and finishing with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday September 26. Local time in Baku is 3 hours ahead of the UK, 8 hours ahead of US Eastern Time and 2 hours ahead of CET:

Day	Date	Session	UK Time (BST)
Thursday	September 24	Free Practice 1	09:30-10:30
Thursday	September 24	Free Practice 2	13:00-14:00
Friday	September 25	Free Practice 3	09:30-10:30
Friday	September 25	Qualifying	13:00-14:00
Saturday	September 26	Drivers' Presentation	10:00-10:30
Saturday	September 26	Azerbaijan Grand Prix	12:00-14:00
Sunday	September 27	No F1 sessions	-