F1 teams must settle a major Baku tire decision as Kimi Antonelli takes an 81-point championship lead over George Russell into round 15.
Formula 1 teams must make a major tire call before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts on Thursday, September 24, adding another variable to the Baku weekend that begins the next phase of the 2026 title race.
The technical issue surfaced on September 20, four days before practice. The event continues through Saturday, September 26, as Baku hosts round 15 of the championship.
Baku decision arrives during title run
Kimi Antonelli heads to Azerbaijan with 292 points after winning eight of the first 14 Grands Prix. Mercedes teammate George Russell ranks second with 211, putting 81 points between the two drivers.
Antonelli claimed his latest win at the Spanish Grand Prix on September 13. He finished 4.351 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, while Lando Norris crossed the line in third, another 0.738 seconds behind Verstappen.
The result gave Antonelli consecutive victories following his Italian Grand Prix triumph on September 6. He also won in China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco and Belgium.
Russell has two wins, in Australia on March 8 and Austria on June 28.
Mercedes leads both championships
Mercedes tops the constructors’ standings with 503 points. Ferrari has 358 and McLaren sits on 306, giving the championship leader a 145-point advantage over Ferrari before Baku.
Behind Russell, the drivers’ standings are much closer. Lewis Hamilton is third with 191 points, Norris has 186 and Charles Leclerc has 167. Verstappen holds sixth on 145, with Oscar Piastri seventh on 120.
Hamilton and Leclerc have secured Ferrari’s two victories this season. Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on June 14, and Leclerc captured the British Grand Prix on July 5. Norris earned McLaren’s wins in Hungary on July 26 and the Netherlands on August 23.
No driver representing a team other than Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren has won a Grand Prix in 2026.
Teams tackle a compressed Baku schedule
The Azerbaijan event opens with practice on Thursday, September 24. Qualifying takes place Friday, followed by the race on Saturday, September 26.
The tire call complicates preparations for that schedule. Baku also starts a tight run on the calendar, with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia taking place from October 2 to October 4. Singapore follows from October 9 to October 11.
Teams therefore face three straight race weekends before a scheduled break ahead of the United States Grand Prix.
Williams takes a crucial package to Baku
Williams plans to introduce an upgrade package in Baku as it seeks progress during a difficult 2026 campaign. James Vowles has already said the changes “won't be enough” to fix the team’s broader problems.
Carlos Sainz stands 16th in the drivers’ standings with six points. Alexander Albon is one position back with five, leaving Williams on 11 points after the opening 14 rounds.
Audi has scored 17 points through Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg. Haas has 21, with Oliver Bearman contributing 18 and Esteban Ocon adding three. Aston Martin’s three points have all been scored by Fernando Alonso, while Lance Stroll remains on zero.
Those gaps increase the importance of Williams’ Baku package, despite no promise of an immediate fix. The team arrives in Azerbaijan one point ahead of Bortoleto alone, while Bearman has scored seven more points than the two Williams drivers combined.
Midfield points are unevenly distributed
Isack Hadjar heads the group behind the established front runners, sitting eighth with 71 points. Liam Lawson ranks ninth on 59, Pierre Gasly has 41 and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad has 31.
Franco Colapinto is next with 27, nine points more than Bearman. Bortoleto has 10 and Hulkenberg has seven.
At the foot of the standings, Yuki Tsunoda has one point. Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are yet to score.
Nine rounds follow Azerbaijan
After Baku, nine scheduled Grands Prix remain in the 2026 season. Bahrain in Malaysia and Singapore close out the next block, before the United States Grand Prix from October 23 to October 25.
Mexico City takes place from October 30 to November 1, followed by São Paulo from November 6 to November 8. Las Vegas runs from November 19 to November 21, then Qatar follows from November 27 to November 29.
The championship concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from December 4 to December 6. Before that final sequence starts, teams must confirm their Baku tire selections and get ready for the opening practice session on Thursday, September 24.
