Formula 1 in Baku 2026: Airport Car Delivery & City Travel Guide

The FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2026 takes place in Baku on 24–26 September 2026. For three days the centre of the city becomes the Baku City Circuit, and the streets around the Old City, Government House and the seafront work differently from any other weekend of the year.

That is exactly why transport deserves planning before you fly. This guide covers what to arrange in advance, how car delivery at the airport works as a booking option, how to move around a city with a restricted centre, and why the BMW X6 is a sensible car for this particular trip.

Why you should reserve a car before you arrive

A race weekend brings a large concentration of visitors to Baku over just a few days. Hotels fill first, and premium cars follow. Reserving in advance is less about price and more about certainty: you choose the specific car you want rather than whatever is still unbooked when you land.

Booking early also gives time to agree the practical details calmly — where the car is handed over, how many passengers and suitcases it must carry, and how we reach you if your flight moves. None of that is comfortable to arrange in an arrivals hall at midnight.

Collecting the car at Heydar Aliyev International Airport

Delivery or collection at Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) can be arranged as a booking option and is confirmed for each reservation individually — during an event weekend it depends on timing and availability, so treat it as something to agree in advance rather than assume.

To make confirmation straightforward, send us the essentials when you request the booking:

• Arrival date, flight number and scheduled landing time.
• Number of passengers and the number and size of suitcases.
• Where you want the car handed over: the airport, your hotel, or another agreed address in Baku.
• The return date, time and location.
• A contact method that works on arrival — WhatsApp is usually the fastest.
• Driver details and driving licence for the rental documents.

If you are travelling to Azerbaijan for the first time, our Baku Airport car rental guide explains documents, luggage planning and vehicle choice in more detail.

Moving around Baku during the race weekend

Most of what visitors actually do during a Grand Prix happens away from the grandstands: getting from the airport to the hotel, reaching restaurants in the evening, visiting the Old City and the Boulevard, or driving out to see something beyond the capital between sessions. A car covers all of that without depending on taxi availability at peak hours.

It also keeps the trip flexible in the other direction. Nothing about the weekend obliges you to stay inside the city — the coastline north of Baku and the mountain roads towards Shamakhi are within easy reach on a quieter morning.

Street closures and access around the circuit

The circuit runs through live city streets, so central roads near the seafront and the Old City are closed or restricted around the event. Access arrangements are set by the organisers and the city authorities, and they change through the weekend.

The only reliable approach is to follow current information rather than a fixed plan:

• Check official event notices and the organisers' published traffic information before each day.
• Follow road signs and the instructions of traffic officers — temporary signage overrides what any map shows.
• Ask your hotel: properties inside or near the perimeter usually know the current access routes for guests.
• Use live navigation with real-time traffic, and re-check the route before you set off rather than the night before.

We cannot publish closure times here, and neither should anyone else — they are announced officially and are subject to change.

Parking and the last few hundred metres

Plan to park outside the restricted streets and complete the final approach on foot. In practice that means choosing a destination slightly away from the perimeter, parking legally where parking is permitted, and walking in. Central Baku is compact and walkable, and during the event pedestrian movement is often simply faster than driving.

Two habits make this painless: leave earlier than you think necessary, and never leave a car where temporary signs prohibit stopping, even briefly.

Why the BMW X6 works well for this trip

The BMW X6 G06 in the TORO Rent fleet is a 2022 car with a 2999 cm³ six-cylinder petrol engine, automatic transmission, five seats and all-wheel drive. For a race weekend it offers a useful combination:

• Luggage practicality. Airport arrivals with several suitcases fit comfortably, which matters when the whole group lands together.
• An elevated driving position. Helpful in unfamiliar streets and diversions, where seeing further ahead makes navigation calmer.
• Comfort across short city trips. A weekend is made of many short journeys rather than one long drive, and refinement is what you notice.
• Presence. Arriving at a hotel or restaurant in an X6 suits the tone of the weekend without being ostentatious.

You can see the current specification and availability in our fleet section, and compare classes in the 2026 guide to premium car rental in Baku.

A short practical checklist

• Reserve the car as early as your travel dates are fixed.
• Send your flight number, arrival time, passenger count and luggage details with the request.
• Confirm the handover point and the return arrangement in writing.
• Keep your driving licence, passport and rental documents with you.
• Save an offline map of central Baku and keep live navigation on.
• Check official traffic notices each morning of the event.
• Allow extra time for every trip into the centre and plan to walk the last stretch.
• Park only where it is clearly permitted.

More planning guides for the city and the country are collected in TORO Insights, and general rental information for the capital is on our Baku car rental page.

Reserve the BMW X6 for the Baku Grand Prix weekend

The racing takes care of itself. Getting to it, and getting everywhere else between sessions, is the part worth organising — a car reserved in advance, handed over where you agree, and ready from the moment you arrive.