Baku to set grid on Friday as Antonelli defends big lead
Formula 1 will qualify on a Friday in Baku, with the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to be decided from 1pm BST on September 25.
That Friday slot is unusual. Sunday is Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day, so the race moves forward to Saturday. The start is set for noon BST on Saturday, according to The Guardian.
The event runs from September 24 to 26. It is officially titled the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026. Thursday brought the first two practice sessions, with final practice and qualifying stacked together on Friday, Formula1.com reports.
Eleven teams and 22 drivers will chase grid positions. Qualifying is the timed shootout that sets the starting order, with the fastest driver taking pole position at the front.
The championship stakes are clear. Kimi Antonelli leads by 81 points after winning the Spanish Grand Prix. Lando Norris took pole for that race in Spain two weeks before September 25, but Antonelli took the victory to stretch his advantage.
Antonelli arrived in Baku with eight wins from 14 races this season, as reported by Sky Sports. That record makes him the benchmark. It also makes every qualifying session a chance for rivals to stop the momentum.
Opening practice on Thursday gave Mercedes encouragement. George Russell went fastest in FP1 with a 1:45.387, ahead of Max Verstappen. Antonelli hit trouble in the same session with a hydraulic issue, a loss of fluid pressure that can affect the gearbox, steering and other systems.
Conditions could shake the order. Friday around Baku City was expected to turn cooler and significantly windier for final practice and qualifying, Yahoo Sports reports. Wind gusts punish small errors on a street circuit lined by walls.
Final practice was listed for 12:30, with qualifying at 16:00 local time, Formula1.com states. That 16:00 start in Baku lines up with the 1pm BST time given for live coverage in Britain.
For fans, this means a compressed rhythm. Teams get one last hour to tune the cars, then go straight into the fight for pole. There is little time to fix a mistake.
