2025 will see new rules in F1 including heavier cars, driver cooling systems, and more
Formula 1 is going to look a little different in 2025.
While the main reason the sport will appear different starts with Lewis Hamilton driving for Ferrari, as well as other changes such as Carlos Sainz Jr. moving to Williams, Nico Hülkenberg shifting to Sauber, and six new drivers taking full-time spots on the grid, there are also some new rules and regulations fans should be aware of as the season ramps up.
While the big changes are coming in 2026, when new technical regulations go into effect that could shuffle the entire grid in addition to the arrival of an 11th team in Cadillac, here are the nine new rules you need to know for 2025.
New F1 technical regulations for 2025
Heavier cars
If you believe the current F1 cars are too big, we have some bad news for you.
The cars will be slightly bigger next year.
Specifically, the cars will be slightly heavier. In a change to Article 4.1 of the F1 Technical Regulations, the minimum weight of the cars will increase by two kilograms next season, from 798 kg to 800 kg.
This change came following a modification to F1 rules regarding the size of drivers themselves, wherein the sport increased the minimum weight of drivers from 80 kg to 82 kg. This was made in the interest of the health and safety of drivers, particularly taller drivers such as Alexander Albon, George Russell, and Esteban Ocon.
Increased restrictions on DRS and flex wings
One of the main technical points that arose during the 2024 F1 season was McLaren’s rear-wing design. At high speeds the rear wing of the MCL38 tilted backward under heavy aerodynamic load, creating a gap in the win that was termed a “mini-DRS.”
While McLaren was instructed to alter their design last fall, the FIA has tightened up the technical regulations regarding both the rear wing and the Drag Reduction System (DRS).
Under the new regulations outlined in Article 3.10 of the Technical Regulations, the minimum gap in the rear wing has decreased from 10-15mm to 9.4-13mm, and with DRS open, the upper boundary remains at 85mm. “At all points along the span, when the DRS is in the state of deployment, the two sections the rear wing profiles must have a minimum gap of between 9.4mm and 85mm.”
Furthermore, according to available reports, the FIA will introduce even more limits on the front wings, starting at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Driver cooling systems
The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix saw drivers encounter a brutal environment.
Due to tire restrictions put into place after Pirelli discovered following their standard analysis of the tires following practice sessions that “a separation in the sidewall between the topping compound and the carcass cords on many of [tires] that were checked was discovered,” the FIA implemented an 18-lap limit for each set of tires.
That meant that rather than having some laps to ease the tires in or give the tires a break, the drivers pushed full out for each of these 18 laps before the mandated pit stop.
When you combine that with the heat and humidity, it made for what many drivers considered the most physically demanding race of their careers. Esteban Ocon admitted to vomiting in his car twice — while still finishing seventh — and Logan Sargeant retired due to heat stroke and dehydration, as he arrived in Qatar dealing with the flu. Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll both were treated in the medical center following the race, with Stroll admitting he was “passing out” in his AMR23 and experienced blurred vision during the Grand Prix.
Now, the FIA is mandating a driver cooling kit when extreme weather conditions are present. When the FIA predicts temperatures over 30.5 degrees Celsius, teams will be required to equip their drivers with cooling systems.
This will also require an increase in the minimum weight of the car to compensate for the cooling systems. For practice, Qualifying, and Sprint Qualifying the cars will see an increase of two kilograms and an increase of five kilograms for F1 Sprint races as well as Grands Prix.
Sporting regulations
Goodbye fastest lap bonus point
Among the changes to the Sporting Regulations for 2025?
The elimination of the bonus point for the fastest lap of the race.
Introduced for the 2019 F1 season, the driver who posted the fastest lap of the race — provided they finished in the top ten — would receive a bonus point. While in theory this created opportunities for teams to pick up an extra point, and promoted thrilling racing and chances for all ten teams to score, the reality was much different.
For example, take last season’s Singapore Grand Prix. In the closing stages of that race Visa Cash App RB F1 Team called in Daniel Ricciardo to pit for a set of soft tires. With the softer compound and low fuel, Ricciardo rocketed around the track and set a new circuit record for the quickest lap ever recorded at Marina Bay.
However, that was not without controversy. Ricciardo was running well outside the top ten and therefore was not eligible for that bonus point. But he also denied Lando Norris that extra point, who was locked in a tight fight with Max Verstappen for the F1 Drivers’ Championship. With VCARB on the grid as Red Bull’s sister team, many wondered if the move was done to deny Norris that bonus point, and the involved parties did not shy away from that as Verstappen even thanked Ricciardo after the Singapore Grand Prix.
This season, that bonus point is no longer on the table.
The FIA announced the move ahead of the 2024 United States Grand Prix, and drivers from Charles Leclerc to George Russell weighed in on the decision that Thursday.
“I always thought the point for fastest lap was a bit pointless because, it would always be the driver who was having a tough race in the top ten would pit, put new tires on and gain the extra point,” said George Russell to the media, including SB Nation on Thursday. “So I never really saw the benefit of that. So sort of glad to see that that’s gone.”
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” said Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc during his media session. “Honestly, I’ve always felt like this point was very superficial because it always depended on your race situation, and it wasn’t really rewarding a particular skill in a way. Because it was more about finding yourself in the lucky position where you can pit stop and do that fastest lap. So I think it’s it’s good that it’s been taken off.”
“I think it takes away from any kind of games that can be played,” said Oscar Piastri during his media session. “I’m not saying that games have been played in the past but it just removes any doubt of it. A lot of the time we kind of saw that if there’s a dominant car, then that car just goes and gets an extra point for fastest lap as well.
“So it doesn’t always bring some kind of benefit to the other cars. So for me, I think it’s absolutely fine to get rid of that again.”
Increased young driver practice requirements
This is another change for the 2025 season, as each team will be required to run four young drivers free practice sessions, an increase over the current requirement of two. In addition, each car will be used twice per season.
This move was also announced ahead of the 2024 United States Grand Prix, and while in Austin I was able to chat with Alpine Team Principal Oliver Oakes about the decision. Oakes is perhaps the perfect Team Principal to chat with regarding the move, given his own racing background, his background in driver development, and the fact that next season he will have a rookie driver in Jack Doohan, who might need all the practice he can get.
“I think if you stand back and you look at the sport as a whole, I think it’s really exciting for the sport, because we’re seeing now such young talent coming in,” said Oakes to me in Austin last October. “I think we’ve seen it this year with Ollie Bearman and Franco Colapinto that it’s so exciting seeing those young guys out of F2 coming in and, you know, I hope they wouldn’t mind me saying this. They’re very talented, but they’re not leading the championship in F2.
“There’s so much talent throughout F2 and F3, and giving opportunity to to those drivers to showcase what they can do, I’m excited by that.
“Obviously I’m a little bit biased because my other business is in those categories, but actually, I think as an F1 team, that’s really cool,” continued Oakes. “Because not only do you kind of get to give options to your own academy drivers, it’s also keeping your own [F1] drivers on their toes that ‘come on, [you’ve] got to work hard because there is young talent coming.’”
Testing of Previous Cars
Under the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) program, drivers can participate in practice, or test, sessions with cars that are two or more years older.
However, changes and restrictions have come to the TPC regulations.
Starting this season teams will be allowed 20 days of TPC running, and in that drivers currently participating in F1 will be limited to a combined total of 1,000 kilometers over four days.
Drivers not participating in F1 for a given team are only limited by the days available, and not the distance restrictions.
Furthermore, teams cannot hold a TPC session at a track currently on the schedule 60 days or less before that given race.
Setting the grid if qualifying cannot take place
The 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix saw F1 move qualifying from Saturday to Sunday due to heavy rain.
But it raised an interesting question: If qualifying could not be run, how would the race stewards set the grid for the race? Would it be done by practice times? Championship standings? Rock paper scissors? The rules were silent on that issue.
However, that will not be the case next season.
In a change to Article 42 of the Sporting Regulations, the Drivers’ Championship standings will be used to set the grid if qualifying does not take place. If the standings cannot be used, such as at the first race of the season, then the grid will be set “at the sole discretion of the Stewards.”
In the exceptional circumstance that the qualifying session does not take place at a Competition, and with acceptance of the Stewards that the session cannot take place, the grid for the race will be defined based upon the Drivers’ Championship classification. In such circumstance, the
procedure defined in Article 42.3 shall be applied using the Drivers’ Championship classification of each driver instead of their qualifying session classification, all drivers shall be considered to be classified.
If neither of the methods of forming the grid for the race described above can be applied, the formation of the grid for the race shall be at the sole discretion of the Stewards.
This will also be the rule for F1 Sprint races.
Setting the final grid
The 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix also opened the door to another change in the Sporting Regulations.
During qualifying, which was held on Sunday just hours before the race due to the weather on Saturday as outlined above, Alexander Albon advanced to Q3. But a hard shunt in the final segment of qualifying was too much for the team to repair, and he did not start the Grand Prix itself.
Under the existing Sporting Regulations, his seventh-place spot on the grid was left vacant. Now under the revised Sporting Regulations, the final race grid will be formed one hour ahead of the starting time for the race. Cars that are withdrawn 75 minutes or more before the start of the race will not be included on the grid, and all the following cars will move up on the grid to “close” up the formation.
Regulation of driver behavior
We close with what could be a change to monitor.
Last month the FIA released new guidelines for the punishment of driver misconduct. Under these new regulations driver’s comments are subject to increased regulation, and potentially strict punishments up to and including suspensions and deductions of championship points for repeated behavior.
You can read more about these new escalating fines in this deep dive here.
Imagine, for a moment, a championship contender being suspended late in the season under this change.
Better yet, let’s not imagine that.
