Quick answer: the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held on Saturday, September 26. The race is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. in Baku, which is 8:00 a.m. Brasília time. Formula 1’s official weekend runs from Thursday, September 24, through Saturday, September 26 — an unusual format that also shifts the practice and qualifying days.
When is the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Formula 1’s official calendar places the Baku round on September 24–26, 2026. The schedule published for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix puts practice on Thursday and Friday, with the race on Saturday.
| Date | Session | Baku time | Brasília time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Sep 24 | Practice 1 | 12:30–13:30 | 05:30–06:30 |
| Thu, Sep 24 | Practice 2 | 16:00–17:00 | 09:00–10:00 |
| Fri, Sep 25 | Practice 3 | 12:30–13:30 | 05:30–06:30 |
| Fri, Sep 25 | Qualifying | 16:00–17:00 | 09:00–10:00 |
| Sat, Sep 26 | Race | 15:00 | 08:00 |
For viewers in Brazil, the practical consequence is straightforward: sessions fall in the early morning or morning hours, and the race is early on Saturday rather than on Sunday.
Why is the race on Saturday?
The event does not follow the usual Friday-to-Sunday pattern. In a calendar update, the FIA said the Azerbaijan promoter and local government stakeholders requested moving the race from Sunday, September 27, to Saturday, September 26, to accommodate a national day. Formula 1’s current calendar now lists the round for September 24–26.
That shifts the entire timetable: the first two practice sessions move to Thursday, Practice 3 and qualifying take place on Friday, and Saturday becomes race day. For planning purposes, this is more important than simply remembering the start date.
How to convert Baku time to Brasília time
Baku uses UTC+4, according to the Azerbaijan Metrology Institute. Brasília is UTC−3. On the Grand Prix weekend, Baku is therefore seven hours ahead of Brasília.
The practical rule is: take the Baku time and subtract seven hours. That means 3:00 p.m. in Baku becomes 8:00 a.m. in Brasília; 4:00 p.m. becomes 9:00 a.m.; and 12:30 p.m. becomes 5:30 a.m.
- 12:30 in Baku → 05:30 in Brasília;
- 16:00 in Baku → 09:00 in Brasília;
- 15:00 in Baku → 08:00 in Brasília.
That time difference is why an afternoon session in Azerbaijan appears so early on a Brazilian schedule.
“Time in Brazil” does not mean one single time zone
The table above uses Brasília time, the reference most commonly used by national sports schedules. Brazil, however, spans more than one time zone. The Brazilian National Observatory provides the country’s official legal time for each time zone.
If you are outside the Brasília time zone, use Saturday at 8:00 a.m. as the reference and adjust to your local state or municipal time. This avoids treating “Brazil time” as if it were identical across the entire country.
How to avoid missing the round because of the unusual calendar
- Mark the race for Saturday: September 26 at 8:00 a.m. Brasília time.
- Move qualifying forward: it is on Friday, September 25 at 9:00 a.m. Brasília time.
- Practice starts on Thursday: checking only from Friday could mean missing two sessions.
- Check the official page close to the event: sporting schedules can change, and Formula 1’s event page is the most direct reference for last-minute updates.
It is also worth checking the time selector on Formula 1’s website: the site may display the schedule in the viewer’s local time or in track time. To compare with this guide, use “Track time” for Baku or confirm that your device is set to the correct time zone.
The key planning points
For viewers using Brasília time, the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix means an early start: practice at 5:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., qualifying at 9:00 a.m., and the race at 8:00 a.m. The conversion rule for the event is simple: Baku is seven hours ahead of Brasília. Most importantly, the weekend ends on Saturday, September 26 — the detail most likely to make a fan check the schedule on the wrong day.
