Get ready for a rare Saturday Formula 1 race in Baku. The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been moved from its traditional Sunday slot to Saturday, September 26, following a request from the Azerbaijani promoter and government stakeholders. The change allows the country to observe Azerbaijan Remembrance Day on September 27 without the Grand Prix taking place on the same day.
Key Points:
- The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, September 26.
- The change comes ahead of Azerbaijan Remembrance Day on September 27.
- The day honors those who lost their lives during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
- Saturday F1 races are unusual but have happened throughout the championship's history, including in recent years.
Why Is the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday?
The 2026 Formula 1 season will feature an unusual race weekend in Baku, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix taking place on Saturday rather than Sunday. The race was originally scheduled for Sunday, September 27, but the date has been brought forward by one day following a request from the Azerbaijani promoter and government stakeholders.
As a result, the entire F1 weekend will also move forward. Media day will take place on Wednesday, practice sessions on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and the 51-lap Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday. The change means the race will not overlap with Azerbaijan Remembrance Day, which is observed nationwide on September 27.
Azerbaijan Remembrance Day Explained
Azerbaijan Remembrance Day is observed every year on September 27 to honor military personnel and civilians who lost their lives during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, also known as the Patriotic War. The conflict began on September 27, 2020, and lasted 44 days. According to the Azerbaijani government, 2,783 soldiers were killed during the war.
With the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix originally scheduled for Remembrance Day itself, moving the race to Saturday allows the country to mark the occasion without the event taking place on the same day.
Has Formula 1 Had Saturday Races Before?
Although Sunday is the traditional race day in Formula 1, Saturday Grands Prix are not without precedent. The first-ever F1 World Championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, was held on a Saturday. The British Grand Prix continued to run on Saturdays until 1975.
The Indianapolis 500, which counted toward the F1 World Championship from 1950 to 1960, also traditionally took place on May 30, moving to May 31 when May 30 fell on a Sunday. Saturday races later became extremely uncommon, with the 1985 South African Grand Prix among the last examples of the era.
However, the format has returned in recent years. The Las Vegas Grand Prix has been held on Saturday night since its F1 debut in 2023, while the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were also staged on Saturdays because of the start of Ramadan.
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will therefore add another unusual Saturday race to F1's long history while allowing Baku to respect an important national day of remembrance.
