New rules promise to shake up the 2025 F1 season

New rules promise to shake up the 2025 F1 season

The last six months unfolded like a typical Drive to Survive narrative; new faces are on the grid, renowned drivers are switching teams, and no one is certain about their predictions going into the new season. But to add one last spanner to an already complex situation, the FIA has added seven new rules for the upcoming season aimed at supporting rookies and reducing controversy.

The fastest lap point is gone.

The fastest lap is an interesting play in the F1 handbook and is one which has caused some trouble in recent years. Originally introduced from 1955 to 1959, the point for the fastest lap was reinstated six years ago in an attempt to make racing that little bit more interesting. But it has since become problematic, as it creates large gaps on the grid so cars can pit and retain their position with better rubber. This only favours the fastest drivers on the circuit who have a large enough margin, or it allows for inter-team strategies further back in the field.

Daniel Ricciardo's surprise fastest lap in the late stages of the Singapore GP last year was the primary reason for this rule change, as his backmarker position managed to take the fastest lap point away from Norris, who was in strong competition with the Red Bull team, and yes, that’s the sister team to Danny Ric and the RBs. This should now allow for more consistent performances that don’t just benefit a lucky few.

Drivers need to be cool.

Although F1 drivers are among the coolest athletes, this new rule change aims to protect them from extreme heat. Should the temperature rise above 31 degrees Celsius on a sprint or race day, then a heat hazard will be called.

The car and driver's maximum weight is then raised by 5kg to make room for a cooling module. This is connected to piping that runs through the driver's suit, ensuring a comfortable driving environment. This came as a result of the extreme heat experienced at the Qatar GP in 2023, in which drivers battled the heat, and some didn’t even finish due to exhaustion.

Stop practicing with old cars.

The third rule for the 2025 season was designed to limit the amount of practice time drivers can have in older cars. Teams are now allowed to carry out 20 days of TPC training; however, the drivers are only allowed to take part in four of these days and are limited to 1,000km of testing over the season. This is only allowed for Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) and does not impact tyre testing or promotional events in current racing cars.

Rookies need more seat time.

FP1 will also see some changes. Rookies with two or fewer F1 races will receive double the practice time. Previously, teams were required to give a rookie practice time at least once over the course of the season, and now with a doubled track time requirement, each team will need to participate in at least four practice sessions with a rookie behind the wheel.

Bring in the mule.

As the rookies set out to complete more laps than the rest of the grid, teams will be required to test the next season's tyre compounds in Abu Dhabi as an end-of-year test. Teams have a choice of either the current car or a car that competed in the last four seasons to be adapted to handle the new tyre sizes. This is being prepared and planned in anticipation of the massive changes promised to the sport and the cars for the 2026 season.

Crackdown on flexy DRS and aero panels.

This rule change is cracking down on clever but controversial aerodynamic engineering, which was mostly due to last year's McLarens. The team was cited for flexible panels that provided unfair advantages, essentially DRS Lite, due to panels that bend open at speed. It's undoubtedly tough to compete against a car that just edges out increasing gaps as it picks up speed, but these flexible panels, as clever as they are, have been proven to be unfairly beneficial.

To restrict this aerodynamic trickery, cars must now have DRS in only two positions, open or closed. Rear wing slots will therefore be tested under a stronger load. Previously the amount of deflection was limited to 10Nm which has now been upped to 30Nm to ensure the aerodynamics aren’t bending with the airflow.

Oddly enough, there are a few rules still waiting for approval and will be in place from the Barcelona race, which is round nine of the season. These changes will include stricter front bumper deflection limitations and gaps allowed between the rear wings.

Qualifying is changing slightly.

The Sao Paulo race last year brought an interesting flaw in the FIA's qualifying system. If qualifying cannot proceed due to weather or any unforeseen circumstances, then the driver's championship standings will now dictate the grid. This also applies to the sprint races. If this occurs early in the season, then the grid will be set at the steward's discretion. How that works out remains to be seen.

Now there has also been a slight change for those who fail to set a time in Q2 and Q3, where a mechanical issue halts their progress or they simply miss the qualifying cut-off. In this case, their previous fastest time will be recorded, whether it was from Q1 or Q2. For example, if two drivers fail to set a time in Q3, then their fastest laps in Q2 will be used to dictate their starting positions.

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