F1 heads to Baku for a shortened weekend, with the race moved to Saturday

Formula 1 moves on from Madrid to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, running from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September 2026. Unusually, the race itself falls on Saturday at 13:00 CEST, a day earlier than the standard schedule, with qualifying held on Friday.

Why the weekend runs Thursday to Saturday

The shortened schedule is down to 27 September, when Azerbaijan observes a day of remembrance for the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. To avoid clashing with the occasion, the entire race weekend has been shifted forward by a day.

Antonelli arrives with an 81 point cushion

Kimi Antonelli heads to Baku off the back of his win in Madrid, a result decided by a virtual safety car that caught pole sitter Lando Norris out just after he passed the pit lane entrance. Antonelli leads the drivers’ championship with 292 points, 81 clear of George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton and Norris remain locked in a tight fight for third, separated by just 5 points.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend schedule (CEST)

Denmark, Sweden and Norway all share the same CEST time zone as the schedule above, so these times apply across the Nordics without any adjustment.

Where to watch in the Nordics

As with every round this season, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is covered across Denmark, Sweden and Norway by Viaplay Group, which holds Formula 1 broadcasting rights in the region through 2029. All sessions, including both practice days, qualifying and the race, stream live on Viaplay.

In Denmark, coverage also airs on Viaplay Group’s pay-TV channels TV3+ and TV3 Sport. In Sweden, the weekend is included in the Viaplay Total package, with sister channel TV6 part of the group’s wider sports offering. In Norway, Formula 1 remains reserved for the Viaplay Total tier, as the cheaper Viaplay Medium package does not include race weekends.