Baku Thursday notebook: politics, paddock cats and a few sharp elbows
Media day in Baku had the usual mix: sunshine, stories and a paddock cat that made more friends than half the grid last season. Beyond the feline diplomacy, Thursday brought a handful of talking points that could shape the next few months, and maybe the next few years, of motorsport.
A new name circles the FIA presidency
Swiss racing driver Laura Villars, 28, has put her hand up for the FIA’s top job, declaring an intention to run against incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem and American administrator Tim Mayer. If she follows through with a formal application, Villars would be the first female candidate to stand for the presidency. As of today, no paperwork has landed, and time isn’t lingering; the FIA’s deadline for submissions is Friday 19 September. Until then, consider this a serious marker laid down rather than a full campaign launch.
Verstappen’s Nürburgring tease comes with a 2026 caveat
Max Verstappen turned laps in GT machinery at the Nürburgring last weekend and, as you’d expect, that lit a fuse under talk of a future tilt at the 24 Hours. He’s now got the necessary licence for the Nordschleife, but he was pragmatic in Baku: any non‑F1 programme lives and dies by his day job and what 2026 brings.
“For me, it’s very important to be able to do those things outside F1,” he said, before pointing to the unknowns of the next rules cycle. In short: if the 2026 project needs every ounce of focus, don’t expect a summer sabbatical at the Green Hell. If Red Bull’s new era starts clean and competitive, that window opens a touch wider.
Hadjar swats away the noise
Isack Hadjar’s name continues to hover around Red Bull’s 2026 decision-making, with suggestions the team wants its line-up nailed within the next three races. The Frenchman’s response in Baku was pure shrug.
“I don’t care. I really don’t care,” he told reporters, adding he had better things to do on his days off than scroll Instagram. The subtext: he’ll drive, the rest will sort itself. It’s blunt, and it’s probably smart. Red Bull like drivers who don’t flinch in a storm.
Antonelli takes Wolff’s jab on the chin
Kimi Antonelli absorbed Toto Wolff’s “underwhelming” verdict on his Monza weekend and gave a mature reply. He agreed the race wasn’t where it needed to be, citing struggles on the hard tyre and a fluffed launch, while noting qualifying pace was decent despite his FP2 off.
Me and Toto talk openly, he said, and he’s using the critique as fuel for Baku. That’s the right tone for a rookie in a pressure cooker. Azerbaijan is not the easiest reset button — the walls here have been unsympathetic since day one — but it is a clear yardstick for race craft and composure.
Norris unmoved by the Monza outrage cycle
Team orders at Monza kicked off the usual weekend-long argument. Lando Norris didn’t bother to feed it. Not a surprise, he said of the reaction, and not something McLaren will lose sleep over. “We continue to do things our way, whether people agree with it or not… we focus on ourselves.”
Across the garage, that sort of clarity plays well. For everyone else, it’s a reminder: if McLaren’s title push turns inward at times, they’ll live with the optics.
What it all means rolling into Baku
– The FIA picture just got more interesting. If Villars files, you’ve got three distinct profiles vying to shape how motorsport is governed into the next decade. That matters everywhere from safety and sustainability to how the 2026 regs bed in.
– Verstappen’s extracurriculars are a barometer for Red Bull’s confidence about 2026. If the vibe turns cautious, expect him glued to Milton Keynes.
– Hadjar’s calm amid the Red Bull rumor mill is a point in his favor. If there’s a decision coming soon, he’s not telegraphing nerves.
– Antonelli’s response is what Mercedes will want to see: accept the sting, fix the execution.
– McLaren aren’t chasing likes. Whatever you thought of Monza, their compass is set internally. In a championship fight, that tends to be the only compass that works.
And yes, there’s still a race to run. Baku rewards nerve on the brakes and punishes wishful thinking. Track evolution is huge, slipstream games are real, and strategy walls get busy. Practice on Friday will tell us if the front‑runners have trimmed out for the kilometre-long blast or hedged for tyre life in the castle’s shadow.
The cat, for what it’s worth, looked unbothered by any of it.
