2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Thursday

🇦🇿 Audi F1 R:15.2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Preview)

Audi Revolut F1 Team arrives in Baku with points finishes in five of the past six races, most recently Nico Hülkenberg’s tenth place in Madrid. That consistency has kept Audi in the midfield fight, although the margins remain narrow: Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto qualified 11th and 12th in Spain, just outside Q3.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix opens a run of three races in three weekends, with Malaysia and Singapore following. Baku’s street circuit can create opportunities through mistakes and interruptions, but Audi will need another clean weekend to take advantage. Hülkenberg is looking to extend the team’s scoring run, while Bortoleto will be aiming to turn his recent pace near the top ten into a points finish.


SCHEDULE

DAY/DATEACTIVITYTRACK TIMECETEST
Thu 24 SepPractice 112:30-13:3009:30-10:304:30 AM – 5:30 AM
Thu 24 SepPractice 216:00-17:0013:00-14:006:00 AM -7:00 AM
Fri 25 SepPractice 312:30-13:3009:30-10:304:30 AM – 5:30 AM
Fri 25 SepQualifying16:00-17:0013:00-14:006:00 AM – 7:00 AM
Sat 16 SepGrand Prix15:0012:007:00 AM

R:14 RACE INFORMATION

AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES | OFFICIAL BAKU CITY CIRCUIT WEBSITE | GRAND PRIX EVENTS

BAKU CITY CIRCUIT

Baku City Circuit runs through the streets of Azerbaijan’s capital, combining a fast waterfront section with tight corners around the Icheri Sheher old town. At 6.003 km (3.730 miles), it is a long lap for a street circuit. The route passes close to the city’s medieval walls, where barriers leave little margin for a mistake. 

The main straight along the shoreline offers a chance to slipstream and pass under braking for Turn 1, where the track is wide enough for cars to run three abreast. Elsewhere, the narrow castle section calls for precision and makes overtaking much harder. 

That mix gives teams a setup decision: more downforce helps through the slow corners, while less drag improves speed along the straight. Qualifying position matters through the old town, but Baku’s long run to Turn 1 gives drivers a chance to gain places on Sunday. 

Baku first hosted Formula 1 in 2016, when the race was called the European Grand Prix; it became the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the following year. This year’s race is scheduled for 51 laps, covering 306.049 km (190.170 miles). Charles Leclerc holds the race lap record of 1:43.009, set in 2019. 


2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Thursday

TEAM RACE PREVIEW

Audi Revolut F1 Team is ready to tackle the streets of Baku, as the championship heads overseas for the final part of the season. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix marks the start of an Asian triple-header that will test the team’s mental and physical resilience, with Malaysia and Singapore following over the next two weekends.

After adding another point to its tally in Madrid, the fifth occasion in the last six races in which the team finished in the top ten, Audi Revolut F1 Team will be aiming to continue its progress in the streets of Baku.


TEAM QUOTES

Allan McNish, Racing Director: “Madrid was another encouraging weekend for us, and I was pleased with how the team operated. We maximised our potential, and another point was a good reward for that effort: now we need to keep moving in that direction. Baku is the first of three races in a row, so it will be a busy few weeks for everyone – not least because they are three heavily physical races for both drivers and crews. Our focus will be on doing our job well, continuing to improve and putting ourselves in the best possible position to be in the fight for more points.”

2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Thursday



Nico Hulkenberg (Car 27): 
“We’ve been consistently fighting around the points over the last few weekends, and that’s where we want to stay. Baku is one of those circuits where things can change quickly, so if we put everything together and have a clean weekend, there should be opportunities. What we can expect is for the battle around our positions to be quite close, as in the previous rounds, so we will need to execute well.”

2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Thursday

Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5): “Madrid wasn’t the easiest weekend for me, but we were close to Q3 once again and our pace was quite good, so I’m keen to pick up where we left off. We have been fighting very close to the points recently, and we know our car has the potential to get into the top ten, so the aim is to keep pushing in that direction. We usually see some really interesting racing in Baku, and I’m ready to get back in the car and see what we can do.”


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