A Quick Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Guide

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is coming up, which means we’re headed to Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital on the Caspian Sea.

This is one of the newer F1 races on the calendar, taking place for the first time in 2016 on the exciting Baku City Circuit. This street circuit is the fourth-longest in the world and features many twists and turns.

Here’s your mini Azerbaijan Grand Prix race guide, including all you need to know about tickets, where to sit, the fan experience, what you can bring to the track, and more.

Quick race guide to the Azerbaijan GP

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re headed to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this year, or are interested in traveling to the Baku F1 race one day in the future.

Official race name

Officially, this is the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX.

When is it?

The Azerbaijan GP takes place September 24-26*, 2026 (local time). The schedule is:

September 24: Practice 1, Practice 2
September 25: Practice 3, Qualifying
September 26: Race

*Note: This is a Thursday-Saturday race weekend in 2026!

Race location

The Azerbaijan GP takes place at Baku City Circuit, located in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan. The circuit is in an excellent location, with views of the Caspian Sea and Baku’s famous Flame Towers.

The Baku circuit is 6.003 km (3.730 mi) long (one of the longest on the calendar), with a very long straight and then narrow turns through the city’s Icheri Sheher old town. Drivers race 51 laps here.

Getting to the track

Baku City Circuit is located right in the heart of Baku, Azerbaijan’s modern capital city. This makes it very easy to get to the track regardless of where you are staying.

Taking the Baku Metro is the most popular way of getting to the track. The Metro stops Icherisheher, Sahil, and 28 May are all within walking distance of different parts of the track and the Fan Zone.

Many hotels, such as the iconic Holiday Inn Baku, are also just a short walk away from the circuit.

Just don’t plan to drive or take a taxi to the circuit, as there are lots of road closures during race weekend and no public parking available at the circuit.

Azerbaijan GP ticket options

I always recommend checking ticket options through the host circuit first. For the Azerbaijan GP, check out:

Baku City Circuit for general admission, grandstand tickets, and official venue packages.
F1 Experiences for speciality hospitality packages and VIP packages.

For the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, single-day tickets are not available, and you must purchase a full weekend ticket package.

In 2026, they actually sold 4-day ticket packages that included access to some extras on Wednesday, including a special pitlane walk.

Best place(s) to sit

The Absheron Grandstand is a fan favorite at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This grandstand along the main straight has views of the start/finish line, a major overtaking zone, and the hard-braking into Turn 1. It’s also close to the main Fan Zone at the track.

If you’re looking for covered seating, sections A, B, and C of the Absheron Grandstand are the only areas where you’ll find it. This isn’t a must, but it can be fairly hot and sunny during race days, so if you’re concerned about that, you might want to opt for covered seating.

The AzNeft Grandstand is another option if you want a good view of a tricky turn, although it’s not as central and doesn’t have as much of a high-energy atmosphere.

And the Icheri Sheher grandstand has a good view of the tight city gate/castle section as the cars head towards Turns 13-15. It’s further away from things, but you’ll very much feel like you’re in the action here.

The fan experience

At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, ticket holders can enjoy access to the Fan Zone on race weekend. The Fan Zone is located in the Baku Boulevard area and offers games, simulators, virtual reality experiences, a retro car exhibition, driver Q&As, and more.

A highlight of the fan experience includes two major concerts during race weekend, with Calvin Harris on Thursday, September 24 and Katy Perry on Friday, September 25. These concerts will take place at the Crystal Palace, and admission is sold separately — no GP ticket is required.

Certain premium GP tickets also include concert access, so be sure to check when purchasing your tickets.

What you can/can’t bring

Knowing what you’re allowed to bring to the race and what’s prohibited is important when planning your Azerbaijan GP weekend! Here’s a quick overview so you’re prepared.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix bag rules

There are no specific criteria about bag sizes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix beyond noting that bags must be small enough to fit under your seat. All bags are subject to inspection.

Things you CANNOT bring to the Azerbaijan GP include:

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
Liquids in containers larger than 100 ml
Glass bottles and containers
Coolers and ice boxes
Food (other than baby food)
Weapons, ammunition, knives and other dangerous objects
Fireworks, flares, sparklers and other pyrotechnics
Laser pointers and laser devices
Cameras with lenses over 30 cm, plus tripods and monopods
Professional recording equipment without prior permission
Large bags or rigid-frame bags that cannot fit under your seat
Drones
Bicycles, scooters and skateboards
Devices that can disturb spectators or the race, such as vuvuzelas, drums, whistles and horns
Large umbrellas
Seating devices (chairs, stools, etc.)
Rigid poles used for flags or banners
Flags or banners larger than 1 × 2 metres
Illegal drugs and psychotropic substances

Things you CAN bring with you:

Mobile phones and personal cameras for private, non-commercial use
A small bag that fits under your seat

Track invasion info

At the conclusion of the race, there’s usually a track invasion at Baku City Circuit where fans rush onto the track for the podium ceremony. They usually let people onto the track from the F1 Fanzone, near the Absheron Grandstand.

Just note that race-goers have reported that they shoo people off the track pretty quickly after the podium ceremony, so you can’t really linger.

Other race weekend events

The main entertainment on race weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the lineup of musical performers, including Calvin Harris and Katy Perry. As noted before, some GP tickets include admission to these concerts. If your GP tickets do not include admission (or you don’t have race tickets at all), you can still purchase concert tickets separately.

Another musical event happening during race weekend is the APEX After Dark EDM series. This three-night event takes place at FOMO Baku, and tickets are sold separately.

Since the race takes place in the heart of Baku, you’ll find that the city has a lively atmosphere all weekend, with plenty of people celebrating at local bars and nightclubs.

What else to do in Baku

If you’re traveling for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and will be visiting Baku during your trip, here are 5 things you can do while you’re not at the track:

Visit the futuristic Heydar Aliyev Center, an architectural marvel
Admire the Flame Towers lit up at night
Explore the historic Palace of Shirvanshahs
Stroll the Baku Promenade, which runs along the Caspian Sea
Visit the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum

Have you been to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix before?