It always feels unusual when a Formula 1 Grand Prix follows a completely different schedule from the norm, with the race itself not taking place on the traditional Sunday. That is exactly the case in Baku in 2026, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix taking place on Saturday.
The reason is a clash with Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day, when those who fell in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War are honoured. Yet a look back through Formula 1 history shows that races held on days other than Sunday, whether for religious or civic reasons, have been far from unprecedented.
F1 Saturday races: 25 years of British Grand Prix tradition
Along with the Italian Grand Prix, the British Grand Prix is the only event to have been part of Formula 1 in every season since the World Championship began in 1950. However, from 1950 through to 1975, the British race was held exclusively on Saturdays. It was only from 1976 onwards that the Grand Prix settled permanently into its now-familiar Sunday slot.
The Dutch Grand Prix produced an even more unusual history. In addition to two editions held on Saturdays, in 1969 and 1982, three Dutch Grands Prix around the turn of the 1950s and 1960s actually took place on Mondays. More historical records from Formula 1 venues can be explored through the F1 Circuit Records & Statistics section.
South Africa even staged an F1 race on a Friday
A similar case occurred outside Europe with the South African Grand Prix, which was never held on a Sunday up to 1985 and produced several further scheduling exceptions. The 1967 and 1968 races both took place on Mondays, while the 1965 event was staged on a Friday.
Formula 1’s past and present also meet in Las Vegas. In 1981 and 1982, the city hosted the World Championship on the Caesars Palace street circuit, with both races taking place on Saturdays. Today, Formula 1 continues to race in Las Vegas on the same day of the week, although the event is held at night on the Strip Circuit, helping accommodate the time difference for audiences in both the United States and Europe.
More recently, the 2024 Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix were also brought forward to Saturdays to accommodate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Baku therefore joins a much longer history of Formula 1 moving away from its traditional Sunday race slot, even if such occasions have become far less common in the modern era. The position of Azerbaijan within the wider season can also be seen in the complete 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
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