Over the years, the Baku City Circuit has become a setting for records, surprise victories and dramatic finales, earning a reputation as one of the most unpredictable venues on the championship calendar. In 2026, there is another layer to the intrigue: championship leader Kimi Antonelli arrives in Baku with an 81-point advantage over his nearest rival. The landmark race weekend will follow a revised schedule.
Formula 1 action will get under way on Thursday, September 24, with qualifying on Friday and the main race on Saturday, September 26. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the Baku circuit first welcomed Formula 1 in 2016. That year, the event was held as the European Grand Prix before becoming the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 2017 onwards.
The only interruption came in 2020, when the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand the character of the Baku circuit, it is enough to look at a single lap. The lap is 6.003 kilometres long, while drivers complete 51 laps during the race, covering just over 306 kilometres in total.
The 20-corner circuit runs anti-clockwise. One of its most recognisable sections runs alongside the walls of Icherisheher. At Turn 8, the track narrows to around 7.6 metres, leaving drivers virtually no room for error.
Another distinctive feature comes right at the start: there are just 141 metres between pole position and the braking zone for Turn 1. The Baku circuit also presents teams with a difficult compromise when it comes to car set-up. The narrow, slow sections around Icherisheher are followed by long, high-speed stretches, while the proximity of the walls raises the cost of any mistake.
Just how high the speeds can be in Baku was demonstrated by Valtteri Bottas in 2016. Driving for Williams, the Finnish driver reached around 378 km/h, a figure that remains among the highest speeds recorded by a Formula 1 car during a race weekend. But the reputation of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is not built on the circuit layout alone.
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