Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Why is this F1 race on Saturday and not Sunday?

The 51-lap Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set to to be held on Saturday, 26 September. | Photo Credit: AP

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix taking place in Baku was initially scheduled for Sunday, September 27. However, it has been moved ahead by a day following a request from the race promoter and government stakeholders.

This is to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan’s national day of rememberance which falls on the same day.

September 27 is annually observed as Remembrance Day in the nation, in honour of lives lost during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, also known as the Patriotic War.

The day was established by Presidential decree in December 2020 to remember the 2,783 soldiers Azerbaijan lost in the conflict.

Azerbaijan feuded with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in a conflict that began in 2020. Azerbaijan took full control of the region in 2023. Armenia also lost nearly 3,800 soldiers to this war.

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 23, 2026

As a result, all planned activities have moved up 24 hours. The media day took place on Wednesday rather than Thursday and so on.

Is it common for an F1 race to be held on a Saturday?

Although currently it has become commonplace for F1 to host each main race on a Sunday, there have been several occasions in which a race has been held on a different day.

F1’s first World Championship Formula 1 race was the 1950 British GP at Silverstone. It was held on Saturday, May 13. Saturday racing was a British GP staple for quite a while thereafter.

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Eventually, there have been instances were races in South Africa, Canada and even the Los Angeles GP have added to the Saturday racing tally.

Even the Indianapolis 500, technically not an F1 race, adds to this tally. The iconic IndyCar fixture was on the championship calendar between 1950 to 1960, even though it used different cars, regulations and competitors from the European F1 ecosystem.

Its traditional date was May 30, regardless of the day of the week. As a consequence, the 1953 and 1959 editions fell on Saturdays.

Published on Sep 25, 2026

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