Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend set for another major schedule change

The Baku City Circuit will host yet another unconventional weekend later this month after FIA Formula 2 confirmed a "supersized" round featuring two qualifying sessions and two feature races.

The F1 race itself was already moved from Sunday to Saturday to avoid clashing with Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day on 27 September, shifting the entire programme forward by a day.

Now F2's Round 12 will follow suit with a considerably expanded format, marking the only time this season the feeder series will stage more than one feature race in a single weekend.

As the sole support series at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, F2 will run a 45-minute free practice session on Thursday morning, followed by two consecutive 20-minute qualifying sessions on Thursday afternoon.

The sprint race and first feature race will take place on Friday, with a second feature race on Saturday morning ahead of the grand prix.

Championship leader Nikola Tsolov holds a slender seven-point advantage over Rafael Câmara heading into Baku, with Gabriele Minì a further 17 points adrift.

With two feature races each carrying the full 25-point haul for a win, plus fastest-lap points and pole position awards from both qualifying sessions, the expanded weekend could prove pivotal.

FIA Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel said: "As Formula 2 is the only Support Event at the Azerbaijan Formula 1 Grand Prix, together with the promoters, we have opted for a supersized F2 race weekend, with one Free Practice, two Qualifying sessions, one Sprint Race and two Feature Races."

He added: "This is the only weekend where the timetable allows the additional sessions, which will increase the level of entertainment even further for the attending crowd and all our fans. The Baku City Circuit always provides us with amazing racing, so we're very pleased to make the 12th Round of our season pretty unique."

End-of-season uncertainty lingers

Michel confirmed that the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will revert to the standard format of one qualifying, one sprint race and one feature race.

However, there remains significant uncertainty over whether those events will go ahead at all.

The Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix remain officially on the 2026 F1 calendar, but contingency plans are in place should the regional security situation force cancellations.

Imola has been widely reported as a potential European replacement venue for a December season finale, though F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has described it only as one option that is "not defined."

Whether F2 would also race at a potential Imola round is unclear, adding a further layer of unpredictability to a title battle that Baku could blow wide open.