What is the Azerbaijan F1 GP Sprint race schedule? Timings for all the regions explored

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on April 28, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

The F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is just around the corner after a month's absence from racing action. This will be the first time that fans will be gathered around the streets to witness the grid go racing.

This will also be a test for the teams as after the unplanned break (due to the cancelation of the Chinese Grand Prix), many will be bringing in upgrades to challenge their rivals, and it will be interesting to see the increasing challenge on the grid.

This F1 weekend will also witness the new spring weekend format that was recently approved by the authorities. To not cause any confusion between all the sessions, here are the timings of the race weekend for different time zones around the world.

Session	GMT	IST	ET	BRT	PT	CET	AEDT	JST	CST
FP1	09:30	15:00	5:30	06:30	02:30	10:30	20:30	18:30	04:30
Qualifying	13:00	18:30	09:00	10:00	06:00	14:00	00:00	22:00	08:00
Sprint Q	08:30	14:00	04:30	05:30	01:30	09:30	19:30	17:30	03:30
Sprint	19:00	10:30	09:30	10:30	06:30	14:30	00:30	22:30	08:30
Race	11:00	16:30	07:00	08:00	04:00	12:00	22:00	20:00	06:00

What to expect for the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

With Red Bull dominating, there might not be a lot to expect as it feels apparent that the RB19 will be pulled to victory. However, that might not be the case. It is quite possible that the race could be challenging for the team, especially because of the time other teams have spent in the development of their cars.

Adding to that is the pace that Mercedes had during the Australian GP. All in all, there could be a challenge for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

The weekend will also see a new format with only a single practice session. Updated weekend format for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

Friday - Free Practice and Qualifying (Main race)
Saturday - Qualifying (for Sprint) and Sprint Race
Sunday - Main race

Getting rid of the three free practice sessions had been under a lot of speculation, especially after F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali showed interest in the same. It it apparently to make the weekends more interesting for the fans.

Previously, the sprint race finishing position determined the starting grid for the main race, however, with this format, that will not be the case as there will be two separate qualifying sessions. But at the same time, sprint races will not lose their validity as championship points will still be awarded to the top eight drivers, with the winner getting 8 and the one on P8 getting 1 point.

This will be the first time since their introduction in F1 that the streets of Baku will witness a sprint race. A lot could happen as the circuit leaves drivers with no space for any mistakes.