Max Verstappen and Lando Norris could face big ‘problem’ when rules change at Spanish Grand Prix  

The title battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen has been interrupted by Oscar Piastri’s form at McLaren at the start of 2025.

The Australian has been the class of the field having taken three victories and the championship lead after the first five rounds, while Norris has struggled to adapt to the MCL39.

Norris has been vocal about how tricky his car can be to drive on a knife-edge, while McLaren thinks his driving style naturally stresses the tyres more than Piastri.

According to a report by AMuS, things could get worse for the Briton due to an upcoming rule change that will take effect from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.

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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris could be impacted by FIA clampdown on flexible front wings

The FIA has been vocal on clamping down on flexible front wings, after complaints from some teams that rivals have started to exploit the rules beyond what was agreed between them.

McLaren was told to stop using a rear wing after the Azerbaijan GP last year because of flexing, and now the FIA has introduced more stringent load tests for 2025.

No team has fallen foul of the new load tests so far, but they are set to be even more tricky at the upcoming Spanish GP weekend when the allowed level of flex will be reduced from 15mm to 10mm.

This will impact Verstappen and Norris, according to the report from AMuS, as it will impact their ability to set up a car for high-speed corners where there is a big change of direction. This will primarily make it harder to prevent oversteer, according to the report.

Lando Norris needs a McLaren that is more suited to his driving style

The thing that has primarily been holding back Norris this season has been his race pace relative to Piastri, having been unable to match him when he’s leading.

Norris noticeably goes through the tyres quicker, which is partially a consequence of running behind other cars. F1’s ‘dirty air problem’ has become a concern in recent races, with Fred Vasseur branding it the qualifying world championship.

In the case of Norris, during the Australian GP he was also notably slower than Piastri. McLaren used team orders to prevent the pair from racing during the changeable conditions, but it was clear that Norris was struggling more to keep his tyres alive.

If the proposed rule change does end up impacting McLaren, then it could have a worse impact on Norris than Piastri given their current form.