2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP – How to watch, sprint race, session timings and more

F1 sparks back into life after a month-long break due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix. The Baku event begins a run of five races across six weeks, while the majority of teams are expected to deliver a raft of upgrades in the coming rounds which may shake-up the pecking order.

During the impromptu break Ferrari saw its attempt to overturn Carlos Sainz’s Australian GP penalty fail, meaning he doesn’t regain fourth place lost due to a five-second penalty for clashing with Fernando Alonso. 

While at Mercedes, it has shuffled its senior technical personnel with key figures James Allison and Mike Elliott swapping roles, as the team is set to introduce major upgrades part of a potential wider car concept change. 

The break also saw an unexpected revisit to the 2008 F1 world championship, after Felipe Massa revealed he was assessing legal options to challenge the title outcome after fresh intrigue of that year’s Crashgate saga. 

But the main focus this weekend will turn to the first sprint race of the 2023 F1 season, with qualifying lined up for Friday afternoon to decide the starting order for the sprint – unless a late rule change is announced to install a standalone Saturday qualifying.

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT03

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Full 2023 Azerbaijan GP session timings

Friday 28 April 2023

Free Practice 1: 10:30am-11:30am BST (1:30pm-2:30pm local)
Qualifying: 2:00pm-3:00pm BST (5:00pm-6:00pm local)

Saturday 29 April 2023

Free Practice 2: 10:30am-11:30am BST (1:30pm-2:30pm local)
Sprint race: 2:30pm-3:30pm BST (5:30pm-6:30pm local)

Sunday 30 April 2023

Race: 12:00pm BST (3:00pm local)

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is only broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.

Fans wanting to watch the race for free will have to wait until the Saturday night (qualifying and sprint race) or Sunday night (grand prix) to see the highlights on Channel 4.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75

Photo by: Ferrari

How can I watch the Azerbaijan GP?

• Channel: Sky Sports F1 HD and Sky Sports Main Event
• Channel numbers - Sky: 406 and 401
• Channel numbers - Virgin Media: 506 and 501

Sky Sports has live and exclusive broadcasting rights in the United Kingdom, with the build-up to the F1 Azerbaijan GP race starting from 10:30am on Sky Sports F1 and on Sky Sports Main Event ahead of lights out at 12:00pm.

When can I watch the Azerbaijan GP highlights?

• Channel: Channel 4
• Start time: Qualifying and sprint race – 7:50pm Saturday, Grand Prix – 5:30pm Sunday

Channel 4 has the rights to show the Azerbaijan GP highlights of qualifying, the sprint race and the full grand prix.

Will the Azerbaijan GP be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2023 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live or 5 Live Sports Extra stations and via the BBC Sport website.

Coverage of the Azerbaijan GP will start at 12:00pm GMT on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sounds app.

George Russell, Mercedes W13, Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT03

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

Weather forecast for the Azerbaijan GP

Baku is set for dry and sunny conditions throughout the race weekend, with a low chance of rain but strong winds. Highs of 20 degrees Celsius are predicted on Sunday for the start of the race, with sunny conditions and a moderate breeze.

Most F1 Azerbaijan GP wins

Max Verstappen: 1 win (2022)
Sergio Perez: 1 win (2021)
Valtteri Bottas: 1 win (2019)
Lewis Hamilton: 1 win (2018)
Daniel Ricciardo: 1 win (2017)