Formula 1 is back in Baku. The first two free practice sessions will take place on the city streets today, followed by qualifying tomorrow and the main race on Saturday.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the 15th round of the season. With the championship entering a crucial phase, the battle is intensifying, and the teams arrive in Baku carrying victories, disappointments and hopes of making a decisive breakthrough.
Mercedes is regarded as the main favorite heading into the weekend. The team holds a commanding lead in the championship, while its young driver Kimi Antonelli is enjoying perhaps the best season of his career. After 14 races, the Italian has collected 292 points and won eight Grands Prix, including the last two. His victory in Italy was particularly impressive, as Antonelli recovered from 19th on the grid to take the win.
His teammate George Russell sits second in the championship with 211 points. He is followed by Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton with 191, McLaren's Lando Norris with 186, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with 167 and Max Verstappen with 145.
Mercedes also holds a convincing advantage in the Constructors' Championship with 503 points, compared with Ferrari's 358, McLaren's 306 and Red Bull's 230. Mercedes has won 10 of the 14 races held this season.
The most recent round before Baku was the Madrid Grand Prix on September 13. Antonelli claimed victory, with Verstappen finishing second and Norris third. Leclerc and Russell completed the top five. Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, Oscar Piastri, Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg also scored points, while Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll failed to finish.
However, Baku is a circuit where current form does not always guarantee success. Over the past decade, the street track has developed its own patterns and specialists.
Verstappen is the most recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner. Last year, he converted pole position into victory, finishing more than 14 seconds ahead of Russell, while Sainz took third place. However, the Red Bull driver is yet to win a race this season. Victory in Baku would give him his third triumph on the Azerbaijani circuit.
Only two drivers have won twice in Baku – Verstappen and Sergio Perez. The Mexican is widely regarded as one of the circuit's leading specialists. He won here in 2021 and 2023, finished second in 2022 and took third place in both 2016 and 2018. This season, however, has been very different for Perez: his Cadillac team currently sits last in the Constructors' Championship without a point.
Oscar Piastri won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2024. His next visit to Baku, however, proved the complete opposite: a false start, a penalty and a crash on the opening lap.
Qualifying in Baku has its own king – Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver has never won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but he holds the record with four pole positions at the circuit. Leclerc also owns the lap record, having set a time of 1:43.009 in 2019.
The full list of Baku winners is:
2016 – Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2017 – Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2019 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
2021 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2023 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
2024 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
2025 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Across the nine races held in Baku, Red Bull has claimed five victories, Mercedes three and McLaren one. Ferrari is still searching for its first win on the streets of the Azerbaijani capital.
There are also several notable storylines ahead of this weekend.
Isack Hadjar is returning to action. The Red Bull driver missed the previous three rounds in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain because of a wrist injury, but has been cleared by the medical commission to compete in Azerbaijan. His return has also triggered changes within the Red Bull system, with Liam Lawson moving back to Racing Bulls and Yuki Tsunoda returning to his reserve role.
Williams, meanwhile, has brought its biggest upgrade package of the season to Baku. The car has been made lighter, its construction revised and a new aerodynamic package introduced. The round carries particular significance for Williams, as Sainz delivered a podium for the team here last year. The team currently sits only ninth in the Constructors' Championship.
All the ingredients are therefore in place for another unpredictable weekend in Baku. The street circuit has repeatedly overturned expectations and turned unlikely contenders into the stars of the weekend.
