2026 timetable
The Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 runs 24–26 September at Baku City Circuit. The race is Saturday 26 September at 11:00 local time.
The Saturday start follows Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day on Sunday 27 September 2026. Formula 1 moved the race so that it does not coincide with a national day of mourning. Sunday is a departure day, not race day.
Some hospitality packages include a Wednesday pit-lane walk (23 September). That is an official add-on, not a practice session. If held, a car is positioned for Wednesday afternoon. Otherwise Wednesday is arrival and rest.
Official session times on formula1.com as of August 2026: Thursday 24 Sep — Practice 1 08:30–09:30, Practice 2 12:00–13:00. Friday 25 Sep — Practice 3 08:30–09:30, Qualifying 12:00–13:00. Saturday 26 Sep — Race 11:00. Formula 1 can still revise a session by a few minutes. We build the ground around the published timetable, then re-time the cars if the governing body moves a window.
Baku City Circuit
Baku City Circuit is a street track, first used for the 2016 European Grand Prix and as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 2017. Length is 6.003 km. The race is 51 laps, 306.049 km. The layout runs the Caspian waterfront, then Icherisheher. That combination determines both the spectacle and the closures.
The Absheron grandstand sits at the end of the main straight into Turn 1. Icheri Sheher grandstand overlooks the old-town gates. Access is governed by barriers. Roads open on Tuesday may be closed on Thursday. Cars are pre-positioned.
| Session (2026) | Day | Track time (local, UTC+4) |
|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Thursday 24 September | 08:30–09:30 |
| Practice 2 | Thursday 24 September | 12:00–13:00 |
| Practice 3 | Friday 25 September | 08:30–09:30 |
| Qualifying | Friday 25 September | 12:00–13:00 |
| Race | Saturday 26 September | 11:00 start |
Source: formula1.com/en/racing/2026/azerbaijan. Confirm again the week you fly.
Airport first
Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) sits about 20 km north-east of central Baku. A private car takes 25 to 40 minutes to the Boulevard, Port Baku or the Flame Towers in ordinary traffic. Race week is not ordinary traffic.
Thursday and Friday arrivals concentrate commercial and private traffic. VIP meet and greet — assistant, fast-track immigration, lounge or VVIP, luggage to the car — is the correct extraction.
Vehicle class is reserved with the flights. Race-week cars are held as a programme: airport, residence, circuit, restaurants, night, Sunday departure. Two vehicles if the principal and children leave at different hours. The GYD VIP arrival guide sets out the airport sequence.
Residence
Four Seasons Baku sits on Neftchilar Avenue, within the waterfront hospitality cluster. Hilton Baku at Port Baku occupies the same belt. Fairmont Baku at the Flame Towers is 10 to 20 minutes in ordinary traffic, longer when Neftchilar is a circuit. JW Marriott Absheron Baku sits in the city grid.
A villa is a house on the Absheron peninsula or a large city residence: bedrooms, a kitchen under private control, parking, a gate. Boulevard hotels suit parties holding Paddock Club or a grandstand. Villas suit families, security details and private dinners. A frequent arrangement is a city suite for the principal and a Caspian house for the remainder of the party. Addresses are not published. Shortlists follow dates and guest mix.
| Base | To Baku City Circuit | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Four Seasons / Hilton Port Baku belt | Walk to about 10 minutes, closures still apply | Hospitality tickets, small party, walk-out mornings |
| Fairmont Flame Towers | 10–20 minutes by car in normal traffic | View, larger suites, you accept a timed car |
| JW Marriott Absheron | City grid, 10–20 minutes depending on barriers | Known hotel, meetings mixed with race days |
| Absheron / Caspian villas | 25–45 minutes, longer on race morning | Family, staff, dinners, a gate |
Planning times in ordinary traffic. Additional time is required on race day.
Street closures
From Thursday, treat the inner city as a changing map. Neftchilar, sections of the Boulevard, and the Old City approaches close in layers around each session.
A private chauffeur desk pre-positions cars and uses service approaches. Some drops require a short walk from a barrier. Public ride-hailing is unreliable once closures are in force.
Leave earlier than a normal city programme would suggest. If the principal is in hospitality and the children are at a villa, two vehicles are assigned. Close protection, if required, is briefed with the chauffeur.
A four-day programme, 2026
Hospitality tickets and grandstand seats are a separate product. The viewing tier already held, or to be sourced through partners, should be stated. Official Formula 1 tickets are not sold on this website. Ground arrangements — GYD, residence, vehicles, timing, optional protection — follow that viewing.
- Wednesday 23 Sep: GYD VIP if arriving early; pit-lane walk only if held; settle the residence.
- Thursday 24 Sep: Practice 1 and 2. Light city only in the windows between sessions. Cars pre-positioned, not summoned.
- Friday 25 Sep: Practice 3 then qualifying. Private dinner after barriers ease, reserved in advance.
- Saturday 26 Sep: Race at 11:00. Position early. After the flag, a private evening or a timed departure to GYD.
- Sunday 27 Sep: Remembrance Day. Quiet city, clean airport, no race to chase. Ideal departure day if the jet or the commercial ticket allows it.
Dining for Gulf guests
Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority country and a secular state. Traditional kitchens use lamb, beef and chicken; pork is not a staple. Alcohol is legal and ordinary on the Boulevard. This is not a certified-halal, alcohol-free city.
Alcohol-free dining, Arabic or Turkish kitchens, prayer-time routing, a ladies’ chauffeur or a villa kitchen under private control are specified in the first correspondence, restaurant by restaurant. The constraint is executed; it is not assumed.
Information required
Book five to nine months ahead for a named villa, a specified Maybach class or a private-jet slot. Later enquiries remain possible, with a reduced inventory. The concierge page is the service; this guide is the timetable.
- Passenger names as in passports, and who is the principal
- Arrival and departure flights or tail numbers, including the Sunday plan
- Viewing: Paddock Club, suite, grandstand, or none yet
- Sleep: hotel belt, Flame Towers, villa, or a split
- Vehicle class and whether a second car is required
- Children, child seats, staff travelling separately
- Dining constraints (alcohol-free, kitchen type, private chef)
- Protection posture: soft-skin, officer, or armor