Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix next week with an 81-point lead. The street circuit in Baku could be the only event more perilous than the driver’s route to a title clinched early in Singapore.
The urban track has produced seven different winners in nine races since its 2016 debut, with only Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen managing to repeat victories at the circuit.
The pole-position starter converted the lead into victory in only three of these nine attempts. The circuit is famous for its 2.2km main straight along the Caspian Sea, and for a passage quite tight through the walls of the Old City at just 7.6 meters wide—a layout that typically triggers a safety car.
For the 2026 season, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was moved from Sunday to Saturday, September 26, to observe Memorial Day in the country, honoring those who lost their lives in 2020 in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
As a result, the event will be moved forward by one day, with free practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and the Grand Prix on Saturday. It also starts a three-race run, adding more intensity to a calendar that is approaching the final stretch.
Mathematically, as GPblog noted, Antonelli could already secure the 2026 title at the Singapore Grand Prix in October. However, a retirement in Baku, a circuit known for crashes, could push the title further back.
This season, of the 14 rounds held so far, Antonelli has failed to score in only two: Barcelona and Britain. In his appearance last year at the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Italian finished in fourth place.
