2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Preview: 5 Big Talking Points Heading into the Weekend

Linus O'Howell

5 hours ago

4 min read

A Saturday Race?!

If everything feels a day early in the world of Formula 1 this week, that’s because it is! I myself found it very strange to see drivers showing up in the paddock whilst I was on my usual Wednesday travels, whilst FP1 will probably be close to finishing by the time I get this article out! This is all due to a national holiday taking place in Azerbaijan on Sunday, with Qualifying now taking place on Friday, and the Race starts at 12pm BST on Saturday! What are we going to do with ourselves for the rest of the weekend?! Whilst you might laugh at this statement, Saturday Races in the past have tended to go very well for Max Verstappen, with him winning 3 of the last 4 Saturday GP's! Also, Verstappen has won two World Championships on a Saturday, too! So, you heard it here first if the Dutchman wins around the streets of Baku!

Esteban Ocon’s Future?

During the week, Esteban Ocon confirmed that he is a free agent as of 2027, sparking speculation surrounding his future! Now, there’s an argument to be made that we already knew this; Esteban’s contract with Haas is up at the end of this year, but the way in which he said it made many people believe that his place in the team is all but gone! There have also been massive rumours that 2025 FIA Formula 3 Champion, Rafael Camara, will be partnering Oliver Bearman next season, so the better question to ask is where can Esteban Ocon go in order to remain a Formula 1 driver for 2027 and beyond?! Cadillac would’ve made sense earlier in the season, but it’s fair to say that Valtteri Bottas has turned around his form enough that keeping him and Sergio Perez for another season makes sense! The only other real opening is potentially at Aston Martin, and in some ways, I could see this deal working for both parties! However, that’s only if either Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll decided to leave, which most likely won’t happen! A reserve driver role is also a possibility for the Frenchman, but there are simply no guarantees that he’d ever compete in Formula 1 again!

Isack Hadjar is Back!

For the first time since before the summer break, we’re going to get to see Isack Hadjar compete on a Grand Prix Weekend! During the break, Isack suffered a wrist injury that turned out to be worse than first expected, with the Frenchman missing 3 rounds across Zandvoort, Monza, and Madrid! Before that, Hadjar was on a streak of 7 consecutive Top 6 finishes, so he’ll be hoping to get back to being competitive straight away! Also, since we last saw him compete, Isack has had his Monaco Podium reinstated, whilst he’s also been confirmed to drive for Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen in 2027! It’s going to be fascinating to see how Isack Hadjar gets on this weekend!

Lawson VS Lindblad Returns

Having Isack Hadjar back isn’t just a good thing for Red Bull; it’s a great thing if you’re a fan of 2026’s most fascinating battle: Liam Lawson VS Arvid Lindblad! Both Liam and Arvid have been highly competitive in 2026, pushing Racing Bulls up to 5th in the Constructors’ (as things stand)! However, Lawson and Lindblad have also caused plenty of headaches for Team Principal Alan Permane, with the feeling that they’re going to crash into each other every time they go anywhere near each other on track! Now, there’s no doubt that Racing Bulls are delighted to have Liam Lawson back; he will undoubtedly perform better than Yuki Tsunoda did, but having two highly competitive drivers in your ranks will never come without challenges! Especially when Nikola Tsolov (currently F2 Championship leader) is waiting in the wings for a seat in 2027!

Where is Oscar Piastri’s Race Pace?

This time last year, Oscar Piastri was the driver to beat in Formula 1; that was until he had a rather shocking 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Weekend! Despite being good enough to win his first World Championship for the large majority of the season, Oscar would eventually have to settle for third in the standings, missing out on the Title by just 13 points! In 2026, Piastri’s form has been anything but spectacular; whilst his Quali pace in comparison to his teammate has been pretty close, Oscar has been completely outclassed by Lando Norris on a Sunday! Granted, Oscar has had some bad luck; with better luck he could’ve won in both Japan and Hungary, but he simply hasn’t had enough pace anywhere else! Oscar Piastri hasn’t even been on the Podium since the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May, so that really needs to change for the young Aussie, at the track where he took a fabulous victory in 2024 (my favourite Race of the entire season)!