How to watch: F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Here’s how you can watch the action from this weekend’s F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from Baku.

How to watch F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Friday, April 28

Practice 1, 19:00 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

Pit Lane Pre-Qualifying, 22:00 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

Qualifying, 23:00 AEDT
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

Saturday, April 29

Sprint Shootout, 19:15 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

F1 Sprint, 23:00 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

Sunday, April 30

Pit Lane Post-Sprint, 00:30 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

Pre-race, 19:30 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

Race, 20:55 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

Post-race, 23:00 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports

No free-to-air coverage of this event is available in Australia.

What to watch for

After three weeks off, Formula 1 returns in Azerbaijan with a raft of teams set to introduce upgrades to their machines.

That offers the tantalising prospect of a change in the established pecking order, even if the prospect of someone upsetting Red Bull’s domination seems a fanciful prospect.

Instead, it’s likely the midfield will be shuffled around once more.

The challenge will be understanding how much of that is car and upgrade-specific versus which team is simply better suited to the unique Baku circuit.

A new challenge also awaits teams this weekend with an all-new format set to be introduced.

Voted through unanimously at the F1 Commission on Tuesday it will see just 60 minutes of practice before Qualifying on Friday afternoon.

That session will determine the grid for Sunday’s race, with Saturday’s running exclusively reserved for the F1 Sprint.

A new qualifying session has been slotted in to replace Free Practice 2, following a similar but trimmed-down format to a standard qualifying session in what will be known as the Sprint Shootout.

The Sprint follows later in the day, the order for which no longer impacts Sunday’s grand prix.

Tyre compounds

Tyre supplier Pirelli has brought with it the three softest tyres in its range this weekend.

The white-walled Hard compound tyre is the C3, with the Medium the C4 and Soft rubber the C5.

New rules have been introduced around the use of tyres too, with compounds mandated during the Sprint Shootout.

There, teams will have to run a new set of mediums in the first two segments of the three-part session before a new Soft at the end.

Weather forecast

For the most part, expect cloudy and cool conditions in Baku for the event with a low chance of rain.

That peaks on Saturday morning with a predicted 14 percent chance of rain overnight and into the morning.

However, it drops to a single-digit percentage chance while cars are on track while temperatures will peak around the low- to mid-20s during the afternoon.

Friday is set to be the coolest with a forecast top of 22 degrees, rising to 24 on Saturday and 25 on race day.

Entry List

Formula 2 Schedule