Baku City Circuit overlooking the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan flag

22 September 2026

Expecting the Unexpected.

Audi Revolut F1® Team is heading east to Azerbaijan as Formula 1® makes its way out of Europe for the concluding rounds of the 2026 season.

14 races down, 9 more to go. Over the next 11 weeks, nine Grand Prix weekends will determine the finishing order of this year’s World Championship. As F1® prepares to leave Europe behind, Baku kicks off a triple header of races which will also see Audi Revolut F1® Team race in Malaysia for the first time next weekend, before heading to Singapore the weekend after for the first night race of the year.

Two weeks ago, on the Madring’s debut, Nico secured another point for the team, finishing in tenth place. The nature of the new track produced little in the way of incident, overtaking or strategic opportunity, meaning Gabi was unable to make progress further than 13^th.

Back to Baku.

The Madring wasn’t the first track to make a somewhat subdued debut. Turn back the clock ten years and Baku City Circuit was met with similar levels of criticism on its first appearance. For all the pre-weekend chatter about the dangers of the track and the expected melee, the 2016 European Grand Prix passed with little incident. Perhaps the teams and drivers raced conservatively. Flash-forward one year and the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix went down as one of the best races of the year. Baku has never looked back.

Baku City Circuit corner beside the historic city walls

Aerial view of the Baku City Circuit winding around the city walls

Baku is a place where anything can happen, where the walls are never too far away and where a sudden Safety Car can turn a race on its head. Being well positioned to take advantage of unexpected opportunities can come with big rewards. First lap smashes. Last lap crashes. Team-mate tussles. It all seems to happen in Baku. The variety of winners and podium finishers over the last decade tells you all you need to know about the unpredictability of this track.

Close-up of a Baku City Circuit kerb and corner

Where the Action
Happens in Azerbaijan.

Baku City Circuit combines 90-degree corners, tight, challenging technical sections and a long, 2.2km straight. It is the perfect recipe for a busy afternoon in the cockpit. With the new-for-2026 regulations, efficient energy deployment will be critical in the Grand Prix, ensuring the drivers have enough energy to make the most of the long start/finish straight.

Red Lave trackmap illustration of the Baku City Circuit corner 1

Turn 1:

At the end of one of the longest straights on the F1® calendar, where cars reach some of the highest speeds all season, Turn 1 presents a tricky braking point to master, especially with cold brakes. Staying out of trouble in the midfield on Lap 1, or at a Safety Car restart, could make or break your race.

Red Lave trackmap illustration of the Baku City Circuit corner 2 and 3

Turns 2 & 3:

Made it safely through Turn 1? Look out for Turns 2 and 3! These 90-degree bends can be just as perilous through the opening laps. Visits to the run-off area are frequent at what is another prime overtaking opportunity.

Red Lave trackmap illustration of the Baku City Circuit corner 8

Turn 8:

In the heart of Baku’s Old City and surrounded by ancient stone walls, the tight section of track at Turn 8 is the narrowest corner seen all year at under eight metres wide. Mistakes here are costly.

Baku Begins the Final Push.

Audi Revolut F1® Team heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the 2026 season enters its final stretch outside Europe. The street circuit opens an Asian triple-header, with Malaysia and Singapore following over the next two weekends. The three consecutive race weekends will place significant physical and mental demands on the Team. Baku provides the first test, before Formula 1® moves on to Malaysia and then Singapore for the final event of the triple-header.

Baku City Circuit straight with Baku skyline in the background

Baku City Circuit winding through Baku with city buildings

Baku City Circuit passing through the city centre

Audi Revolut F1® Team arrives in Azerbaijan with another World Championship point added to its tally after Madrid. The result continued a consistent run of top-ten finishes, with the team scoring in five of the past six races. The focus now shifts to maintaining that progress on the streets of Baku. With three races in as many weekends, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts an intensive phase of the season and another opportunity for the team to build on its recent results.

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Allan McNish

“Madrid was another encouraging weekend for us... "

Allan McNish

"... and I was pleased with how the team operated. We maximised our potential, and another point was a good reward for that effort: now we need to keep moving in that direction. Baku is the first of three races in a row, so it will be a busy few weeks for everyone – not least because they are three heavily physical races for both drivers and crews. Our focus will be on doing our job well, continuing to improve and putting ourselves in the best possible position to be in the fight for more points.”

AZERBAIJAN

24 - 26 September 2026

Azerbaijan

24 – 26 Sep 2026

Thursday

FP1
08:30 - 09:30
FP2
12:00 - 13:00

Baku

Today 22.09.26

28°

Sunny

Hourly forecast

5 pm

27°

6 pm

26°

7 pm

26°

8 pm

25°

Baku in Numbers.

Circuit
Baku City Circuit
Location
Baku, Azerbaijan
Circuit Length
6.003 km
Race distance
306.049 km
Number of laps
51
First Grand Prix
2016
Fastest race lap
1:43.009, Charles Leclerc, 2019
2026 weekend format
Standard weekend

Audi Revolut F1® Team R26 exiting the pit

Saturday Racing.

With Sunday marking Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day, this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix has a slightly unusual schedule, taking place from Thursday to Saturday. It is one of only two Saturday races on this year’s calendar, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix also set to be held on a Saturday evening in November.

As F1® moves away from Europe and heads into its flyaway season, Audi Revolut F1® Team sits just four points away from Haas in seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship. A fruitful triple header could make all the difference.

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