Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri face Baku’s conflict between straight-line speed and control
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will arrive in Baku for a street circuit that asks a Formula 1 car to solve two opposing problems. The long waterfront run rewards low drag, while the narrow castle section demands stability, accurate placement and confidence at lower speed. McLaren cannot optimise one part in isolation because the final setup must protect qualifying performance and remain manageable in traffic during the race.
Max Verstappen approaches his 250th Formula 1 start at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Max Verstappen is due to make his 250th Formula 1 start at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Baku race takes place on September 26, four days before his 29th birthday, and would make him the fifteenth driver to reach the milestone. The number describes unusual experience at a young age, but the immediate task remains a demanding street race in which preparation matters more than ceremony.
Formula 1’s 2027 calendar brings Portugal and Turkiye back as ten Sprint weekends reshape preparation
Formula 1 has confirmed a 24-race calendar for 2027 with Portugal and Turkiye returning and ten weekends using the Sprint format. The announcement gives teams an early planning framework, but the practical challenge is larger than adding dates to a schedule. Travel, freight, simulator work and driver preparation must all adapt when more events offer only one practice session before competitive running.
Justin Rose brings McLaren’s pursuit of small measurable gains to golf preparation
Golfer Justin Rose has explained how his work as McLaren Golf's inaugural ambassador applies the group's pursuit of small, measurable gains to equipment and preparation. He spent a year testing prototype golf clubs with McLaren engineers and has also built a relationship with chief executive Zak Brown and driver Lando Norris. The useful connection is not that a Formula 1 lap and a round of golf are the same, but that both demand precise preparation, honest review and calm execution under pressure.
Audi and bp explain how sustainable fuel development supports Gabriel Bortoleto’s race weekend
Audi's Formula 1 project and bp have described the work required to develop fuel for the current power-unit rules while supporting drivers such as Gabriel Bortoleto across a race weekend. The collaboration is not limited to the liquid entering the engine. Fuel, lubricants, calibration and analysis at the circuit must operate as one package under strict technical and sustainability requirements.
Baku’s 2026 Formula 1 schedule puts qualifying on Friday and the Grand Prix on Saturday
Formula 1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend will run from Thursday, September 24 through Saturday, September 26. Practice begins on Thursday, qualifying is scheduled for Friday and the 51-lap race starts at 15:00 local time on Saturday. None of those sessions has happened yet. The unusual programme matters because teams and viewers must move their normal preparation one day earlier, while the Baku City Circuit still presents the familiar conflict between straight-line speed and control near the barriers.
Tsunoda says copying Verstappen’s setup was his biggest Red Bull mistake
Yuki Tsunoda has identified the attempt to copy Max Verstappen's setup as his biggest mistake during the 2025 season at Red Bull. Speaking after a three-race Racing Bulls return in 2026, he explained that the experience changed how he interprets data and protects his own driving strengths. Tsunoda is now Red Bull's reserve driver and is trying to earn a full-time seat for 2027. His account is valuable because it separates useful learning from direct imitation.