The 2025 Formula 1 season hasn’t even started yet and already there are concerns about changes being made by the FIA to this year’s ruleset.
This year represents the final campaign where all 10 teams can use their current cars before F1’s regulations are updated for 2026.
The cars are set to be lighter, new power units are being introduced and a new aerodynamics system has been developed.
This is forcing teams to split their resources between this year’s car and next year’s machines and how each team manages its workforce and budget over the upcoming few months will have long-term consequences.
Williams have may already given up on 2025, while the likes of Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes will sense an opportunity to add another set of championships to their collection if they nail their updates this winter.
The FIA have just announced that a rule change will be introduced at this year’s Spanish Grand Prix that could have serious consequences for the rest of the season.
The technical directive that dictates how much each car’s front wing can flex will be adjusted, but according to a report from Autoracer, some engineers within the sport are worried it will see a return of one issue that plagued Lewis Hamilton’s final seasons at Mercedes.
F1 engineers worried 2025 front wing rule change will see porpoising return
The report suggests that the FIA have made the upcoming change to level the playing field for the rest of the campaign rather than any potential safety concerns.
However, engineers have told Autoracer that they’re worried the changes being made could see a potential return of porpoising, slowing down the cars and forcing teams to consider major floor updates to go alongside their new wings.
It’s unlikely that many team principals will want to commit that level of time and funding to a new part with just 15 races left before much of the technology developed would potentially be abandoned.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes key issue ‘not over’ due to deep-rooted concern
The battle between obtaining too much downforce and keeping the car balanced has defined this era of Formula 1, with McLaren wary of adding too much downforce at times to avoid their car becoming undrivable.
If the FIA are making this move to try and make the grid more competitive, they may only be penalising the smaller teams who don’t have the resources to develop two new wings for 2025.
Other engineers, according to Autoracer, are worried that the additional stiffness may level out performance levels across the grid, but may also take away ‘significant resources’ from the smaller teams as they develop their 2026 cars.
Lewis Hamilton’s final seasons at Mercedes were plagued with porpoising issues
If there’s one driver who won’t want to hear about the potential return of porpoising, it’s Lewis Hamilton.
His last years with Mercedes were plagued with issues that saw the car bouncing at high speeds, making it very difficult to drive.
In an interview with Sky Sports, he said: “Nothing we do to this car generally seems to work,” Hamilton recalled during the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix weekend, describing his car as ‘undrivable’ over the team radio.
READ MORE: Adrian Newey anticipated one big Mercedes problem before their final seasons with Lewis Hamilton
“We are trying different set-ups. Me and George went with much different set-ups in this P2 just to see if one way works and one way doesn’t.
“I’ll wait to hear how it felt for him, but for me, it was a disaster. It’s like the car is getting worse, it’s getting more and more unhappy the more we do to it.”
Ferrari will be well aware that they can’t afford to make the same mistakes as Hamilton’s previous employers.
It could create an additional twist to a season that’s already expected to be even closer than last year.
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