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Azerbaijan GP on a Saturday in 2026, F1 to test in January

Azerbaijan GP on a Saturday in 2026, F1 to test in January

CNA2 days ago
LONDON :Formula One will race on a Saturday in Azerbaijan next year to avoid a clash with a national day and pre-season testing will start behind closed doors at Spain's Barcelona circuit in January.
Formula One and the governing FIA said the change of date for the race in Baku had been made at the request of the promoter and government stakeholders.
Originally scheduled for September 27 next year, it will now be held on the 26th with each day of the event also moving forward.
That will mean Formula One having two Saturday races on next year's 24-round calendar, with the Las Vegas night grand prix scheduled for November 21.
Formula One is entering a new engine era next season with major technical changes and the new cars will hit the track earlier than usual, with teams having three pre-season tests to shake out any gremlins.
The first on January 26-30 will be a private one at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The second and third, with the usual access for media, will be in Bahrain between February 11-13 and 18-20. The season starts in Australia on March 8.
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