After the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the message I received from a Formula 1 management contact was much firmer than I expected: F1 is planning to race in both Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. I had been confident enough about an Imola replacement race to book accommodation. That now looks like a backup plan rather than the likely destination.
There was plenty more to take away from Baku, too. A 6-year-old fan became a paddock guest after an extraordinary social media response, the circuit produced one of its most unusual photographic angles, and an eventful race gave the teams plenty to discuss.
Why F1 Expects to Race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi
Concern about the Middle East security situation has prompted questions about the final races on the 2026 F1 calendar. My contact said Formula 1 had met with its security and logistics teams and consulted the relevant states and security agencies. The advice it had received left management confident that the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races could go ahead.
That confidence does not mean F1 is ignoring the risks. Management is aware that the championship could be a target. Max Verstappen has also said he would ideally not race in a region experiencing military conflict. The distinction is that, based on the advice described to me, F1 currently expects to make the trip.
Imola remains the contingency. Teams are preparing to send some equipment there early in case it is needed, though not the cars. They have multiple sets of gear, which makes that precaution possible. The relatively late timing of final decisions could also mean more air freight for the closing races. In short, Imola is being prepared, but it is not the plan I was told to expect.
How a 6-Year-Old Fan Made It Into the Baku Paddock
One of the loveliest stories of the weekend belonged to Elon, a 6-year-old attending his first F1 race. His father, Francisco, posted a video in which Elon asked what it would take to go. The proposed target was 10,000 likes and a comment from an F1 driver.
Ollie Bearman commented first, followed by other drivers. Francisco told me the post had been moving along slowly until Bearman replied, when the response took off. It went on to collect around 17 million likes. Elon had about 250 followers before the post.
Francisco bought the flights, and the Baku City Circuit then invited them as guests. The invitation included grandstand seats, about an hour in the paddock and a hotel stay close to the track. It was an exceptional outcome, not a formula anyone can count on repeating, but it gave Elon a first Grand Prix to remember.
The Little Things You Notice Around the Baku Paddock
Getting into the circuit produced its own small mystery. Kimi Antonelli was turned away while trying to use a shortcut from the Marriott Hotel that Lewis Hamilton had taken the previous day. Isack Hadjar later used the same route. I do not know whether Kimi was subsequently allowed through, or why access differed. The shortcut avoids the usual security swipes and probably saves about a minute.
Outside the circuit, evening traffic was heavy and accompanied by persistent horn use. Walking required attention as well: concrete blocks made parts of the pavement awkward to navigate.
A pastry shop had a particularly striking layout. A hot cooktop sat right beside the route customers used through the store, close enough that I took care passing it. Back at the circuit, the organizers’ golf carts still had protective plastic wrapped around their seats. Perhaps the intention was to keep them in good condition, but it gave the carts a rather unfinished look.
Baku’s Racing Drama and Its One-of-a-Kind Photo Angle
For all its logistical quirks, Baku reliably gives us action. This race brought incidents involving Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, an Alpine collision, Lando Norris going out and Oscar Piastri overshooting Turn 1. The circuit can turn a promising afternoon upside down very quickly.
It is just as rewarding with a camera. The low sun near the castle section produces beautiful golden-hour shots, while the bridge at Turn 1 offers something much harder to find elsewhere: glass panels directly above the cars. Shooting down through them creates a genuine top-down view.
It is a funny scene from above, with photographers kneeling around the panels to find their angles. People crossing the bridge often seem happier sticking to its solid edges than stepping onto the glass.
Alpine’s Frustration, McLaren’s Setback and Hadjar’s Podium
The Alpine drivers’ collision was especially painful because points had looked possible. Flavio Briatore threw down his headset immediately afterward and left the circuit for the airport. I would not have wanted to be Franco Colapinto facing that conversation.
McLaren had a difficult day as well. Norris was out, while Piastri’s overshoot at Turn 1 ended a run that had looked capable of producing a podium. After the race, Norris was sitting outside McLaren’s hospitality suite in casual clothes with a member of his security team. He had his back to the passing crowd, enjoying the paddock atmosphere without attracting too much attention.
Hadjar, meanwhile, returned from a wrist injury and reached the podium straight away. His helmet design also recalled the broken trophy from the previous year, a small detail with quite a story behind it.
George Russell’s Win and the Championship Numbers
George Russell looked delighted with his Mercedes win. He went back onto the circuit with a flag around him and posed with his trophy, making the most of his third victory of the year. It was good to see him take a moment to enjoy it.
The championship gap was still substantial: George was 66 points behind Kimi Antonelli. The hypothetical numbers show the scale of the task. If George won every remaining race and the sprint, he could score 208 points. If Kimi finished second in each of those events, he would score 151. George would gain 57 points, leaving Kimi ahead despite that near-perfect Russell run.
George did take 15 points out of Kimi’s lead in Baku. It does not make the title straightforward, but it does show how much one race can change the conversation.
What the Media Pen and Team Content Reveal
Every driver has post-session media duties, and someone keeps a record of when each arrives and leaves the media pen. I came across one of those forms after qualifying. On the incomplete sheet I saw, Lance Stroll spent just 3 minutes there, while Arthur Leclerc spent 18 minutes. It was not a ranking for the entire field, but it was a fascinating glimpse at a routine that usually happens out of sight.
Another behind-the-scenes detail was how carefully teams manage what appears in their own content. A Ferrari staff member was filming a cat near the circuit entry gates, then stopped when water bottles from another brand came into the shot. I was told the team could not use the footage because of its water sponsor. Even an unlabelled bottle in a driver clip can be a problem if its shape makes clear that it is not the sponsor’s bottle. That is how precise these decisions can get.
Fernando Alonso provided a lighter paddock moment. As people moved aside on the Turn 1 bridge, he amused himself by slipping behind them, laughing along as the photographers tried to keep a clear line of sight. Whether he races again next year remains open, but my money is on yes.
Extra Feeder-Series Racing and the Road Ahead
Uncertainty over the Middle East races also affected the support schedule. An extra feeder-series race was fitted into the Baku weekend to guard against the possibility of losing races later in the year. Rafa Câmara left 7 points ahead of Nikola Tsolov. Had the later events not gone ahead and no replacement been arranged, that result could have settled the title.
Both drivers are attracting attention in discussions about future F1 seats, though those possibilities remain just that. The paddock speculation includes Tsolov and a potential Racing Bulls opening, along with Câmara and Jack Doohan in connection with a possible Haas vacancy. There is plenty to resolve before any of those seats can be treated as settled.
From here, the next journey is to Kuala Lumpur via Tashkent. The route includes a 9-hour stop in Uzbekistan’s capital. After a Baku weekend full of changing plans, that is at least one part of the itinerary with time to look around.
