Azerbaijan is marking a decade of Formula 1 in Baku with a move designed to pull in spontaneous fans: visas on arrival for anyone holding a race ticket or F1 accreditation, available until 30 September 2026. The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix runs on Saturday 26 September, shifted a day early to avoid National Remembrance Day on the 27th.

The measure is aimed squarely at the last-minute decision-makers who make up much of the F1 fanbase. To qualify, you simply show a race ticket (paper or electronic), proof of ticket purchase, or an accreditation card from Formula One Management, the FIA or the Baku City Circuit Operations Company at the border. No ticket yet? You can still apply through Azerbaijan's standard e-visa system, ASAN, or via an embassy. Azerbaijan Tourism Board chief executive Florian Sengstschmid framed it plainly: the goal is turning a three-day race trip into a week exploring the country — and first-timers into repeat visitors.

There's good reason to linger. The Baku City Circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, threads 6 km of city streets past the UNESCO-listed Old City, with a 2.2 km flat-out blast along the Caspian Sea waterfront. It was the fastest street circuit on the calendar until Jeddah arrived in 2021, and it's the third-longest track in 2026 behind only Spa and Las Vegas. That mix of claustrophobic corners around the medieval walls and high-speed straights has produced a decade of chaotic races: Daniel Ricciardo winning from 10th in 2017, Lewis Hamilton profiting from Valtteri Bottas's late puncture in 2018, Sergio Perez in 2021, Oscar Piastri for McLaren in 2024, and Max Verstappen's pole-win-fastest-lap sweep in 2025.

The anniversary weekend goes beyond racing, with a Fan Zone and headline sets from Katy Perry and Calvin Harris. The event is big business, too: the 2024 edition drew 76,000 spectators, 80% of them international, who spent over €2,000 on average across the weekend — and 72% said they'd come back.

For travellers, the maths is appealing. General admission tickets start at €186, and the visa-on-arrival rule stays in force for four days after the race, so you can tack on time to see the burning hillside of Yanar Dag, the Carpet Museum, or head beyond the capital. If you've been sitting on the fence about a Baku race weekend, the paperwork barrier has just disappeared.