An elongated international break brings with it a break from club football and the usually jam-packed Saturday offerings in Europe’s top leagues. But one thing that will be taking place? A Formula 1 grand prix.
That’s right: F1 fans will have to adjust their usual weekend routine for the Azerbaijan GP, taking place on Saturday rather than Sunday with the entire race weekend moved forward by a day at the Baku City Circuit.
But why has F1 changed its traditional schedule?
Why is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday?
While the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was initially slated for Sunday, Sept. 27, the FIA and Formula 1 announced a change in June 2025 “following a request from the Azerbaijan promoter and relevant government stakeholders” to “accommodate a national day.”
That national day, observed annually on Sept. 27, is Remembrance Day in Azerbaijan and commemorates those who died during the Second Nagorno Karabagh war, otherwise known as The Patriotic War.
Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region began on Sept. 27, 2020, and continued for 44 days before a ceasefire agreement was reached that November.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev subsequently signed an order in December 2020 establishing Sept. 27 as an annual day of remembrance for Azerbaijani military personnel who died during the conflict.
Why didn’t F1 just move the Azerbaijan GP to another weekend?
Formula 1 has not said whether moving the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to another weekend was considered, and it being the start of a demanding triple-header across Asia prompts the question why that was not the case.
But when Baku was shifted forward, it was not due to begin a triple header. That changed more than a year later when F1 announced in July -- stay with us here -- that Sepang would stage the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Oct. 4, replacing the Bahrain race that had been cancelled earlier in the season due to conflict in the region.
That late addition placed Malaysia directly between Azerbaijan and Singapore, giving teams a logistically-challenging stretch of three straight races.
But Baku’s Saturday race has therefore provided an unexpected benefit. Teams have an extra day to pack up and travel the roughly 3,400 miles (5,500 kilometres) from Azerbaijan to Malaysia before practice begins at Sepang the following Friday.
What is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule?
After a rare Wednesday media day, the race weekend begins with first and second practice on Thursday, Sept. 24, rather than the usual Friday.
Third practice and qualifying will then take place on Friday, Sept. 25, before the 51-lap Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday.
The race is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time in Baku, which is 7 a.m. ET.
Watch the race LIVE on TSN, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Has an F1 race taken place on a Saturday before?
Yes -- and fairly recently, too.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix has been held on a Saturday night since it joined the F1 calendar in 2023, although its late start in Nevada means the race takes place on Sunday morning for many viewers elsewhere in the world.
In 2024, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix were also staged on Saturdays. Saudi Arabia’s race was brought forward to avoid a clash with the beginning of Ramadan, with Bahrain subsequently moved forward by a day because F1 regulations required a minimum period between the two events.
Saturday races were also far more common during the early decades of the Formula 1 world championship.
The change in Azerbaijan is specific to the 2026 race, with Baku having traditionally staged its grand prix on a Sunday.
