Starting Grid and TV Schedule for the 2026 Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix

Meet in Baku this Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 PM for the fifteenth round of the 2026 F1 season.

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In Baku, George Russell struck hard. Already dominant in the first two practice sessions, the Brit secured his fifth pole position of the season with a gap of 837 thousandths ahead of Charles Leclerc. A chasm that positions the Mercedes driver as the favorite, even if the streets of the Azerbaijani capital regularly reserve some surprises.

The other Mercedes exemplifies this fragility of certainty. Trapped in Q1, Kimi Antonelli will start only sixteenth. The Italian will need to combine patience and opportunism to climb up the grid, on a track where the long fast section favors slipstreaming, but where every attack between the walls demands precision.

Behind Russell, Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, in third, will try to turn their good position into a real threat. But Frenchman Isack Hadjar is one of the major attractions of this grid. Absent from the last three races due to a wrist injury, the Red Bull driver makes his return to competition with a remarkable fourth place, four positions ahead of Max Verstappen. This opens up the possibility of aiming for the podium, provided he can maintain this pace over the duration.

Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton will occupy the third row, ahead of Pierre Gasly. Seventh with Alpine, the Norman has a great opportunity to score important points. Esteban Ocon, in thirteenth, will need to rely more on his strategy and race circumstances to make it into the top 10.

The penalties also affected the starting order: Carlos Sainz drops five places for not slowing down enough under the yellow flag, and Sergio Pérez drops three for impeding Piastri.

The race will start this Saturday, September 26 at 1 PM French time. This unusual schedule helps avoid the national day of commemoration held on Sunday in Azerbaijan.