HERE ARE ALL OF THE KEY F1 RULE CHANGES FOR 2025

New regs for flexi-wings

It wouldn’t be pre-season testing in F1 without arguments over the legality of cars that look quick. The fuss surrounding mini-DRS concepts and flexi-wings is still rumbling on, even though the FIA has tightened up the technical regs surrounding the rear wing in an attempt to limit the effectiveness of components that bend at a certain speed to improve aero.

There will also be new, stricter testing for rear wings from round one to make sure they don’t flex too much, while similar tests for front wings are scheduled to come into force from round nine (Spanish Grand Prix) onwards. Expect to see plenty of ‘upgrades’ just before that weekend, then.

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No more fastest lap point

As reported back in October last year, the fastest lap bonus point has been scrapped for 2025. Since 2019, a driver that finished in the top 10 of a race was eligible for an extra championship point if they set the fastest lap of the race, but that’ll no longer be the case this season.

We haven’t really been given a proper explanation as to why this is the case, but the decision was made at an FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting that took place just after the slightly controversial Daniel Ricciardo moment in Singapore. That saw the Aussie in the Red Bull-owned RB car pit for fresh tyres at the end of the race in order to secure the fastest lap in his final ever F1 outing. However, it also meant that – despite being outside the Top 10 so not scoring himself – he took the bonus point from Max Verstappen’s title rival Lando Norris, who had the fastest lap at the time.

Some always felt it was a bit of a gimmick, but on the other hand it did sometimes add a bit of jeopardy to the closing stages of a particularly boring race. Anyhow, it is no more.

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Heavier cars

For 2026 the minimum weight for F1 cars will be reduced to 768kg, but for 2025 it’s actually creeping up by two kilograms to 800kg without fuel. This is to allow for the minimum weight for drivers to increase from 80kg to 82kg (including helmet, race suit and shoes etc). Good news for the six-footers on the grid.

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New driver cooling systems

After the toasty 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, there will now be ‘optional’ wearable cooling systems for drivers should the ambient temperature reach 31°C. At that point, the FIA will now declare a ‘heat hazard’ and the minimum weight will be increased by a further 5kg to allow for the special shirt to be worn (it comes with a pump and battery pack). In 2026 it’ll likely become mandatory for drivers to wear the shirt at this point, but they’ll probably do it in 2025 anyway because otherwise they’ll just be forced to add extra ballast to the car in its place.

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Unlimited gearboxes

Weirdly, the limits on the number of gearbox parts available to each driver in a single season have been removed, so there will no longer be grid-drop penalties for exceeding five gearboxes. Good news for those who enjoy a visit into the barriers.

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Two stops in Monaco

The Monaco Grand Prix has become a bit of a snoozefest, so the FIA is looking to improve the spectacle by forcing each driver to pit for new tyres at least twice if it’s a dry race. Could make for some interesting strategies. Let’s hope the Drive To Survive cameras are camped out on the Ferrari pit wall that weekend.

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If qualifying is rained off…

After torrential rain and full-on thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon, qualifying for the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix was moved to the morning of race day. Luckily the weather had improved by then and Q1 could begin, but if for some reason qualifying can’t happen, we now know the grid order will follow the standings in the drivers’ championship.

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Park your damaged car

In 2025, race directors can now order damaged cars to stop and park up at the side of the track. The rule is being introduced after Sergio Perez limped his smashed Red Bull back to the pits during the Canadian Grand Prix last year in order to avoid a safety car with Verstappen leading the pack. The Mexican was later given a three-place grid penalty after bits of carbon fell from his car.

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More rookie running in free practice

Since 2022, teams have had to replace each of their drivers with a rookie for one free practice session per season. Now though, that’s doubling to two sessions per car, meaning there will be four opportunities for youngsters to drive in free practice in 2025. There are quite a few fresh faces on the grid already though, and because they’re yet to participate in two F1 races, Jack Doohan, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Kimi Antonelli will all qualify as rookies for practice purposes. 

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Less testing of old cars

The Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) regulations are being tightened so that each team is now limited to 20 days of TPC running in 2025. Oh, and current drivers are only allowed to clock up a maximum of 1,000km over four days, so it’ll pay to have some quick kids or a decent reserve driver.

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A different end of season tyre test

Perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, but the end of season test will also look a little different this year. The teams will be required to use special ‘mule’ cars that are modified to better reflect the 2026 regs. They’ll wear the new skinny tyres, too. 

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No swearing!

Possibly the most talked about rule change for this year is the FIA’s clampdown on naughty language. It has now decided drivers could be given huge fines, one-month bans or even championship points deductions for swearing. The latter will be reserved for repeat offenders after their third strike, but we can only imagine Red Bull has spent the summer trying to hire Lionel Messi’s bodyguard to stop Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda from ending the year on minus points. 

2025-03-12T05:11:34Z