The FIA have closed a loophole in the Formula 1 regulations that may have been key to McLaren’s 2025 dominance. The changes, approved at a recent World Motorsports Council meeting, will come into effect next year.
McLaren are racing towards a second consecutive constructors’ championship, having built a 197-point lead over second-place Ferrari in the first nine rounds. They’ve won seven of those races, taking 16 podiums from a possible 18.
While Max Verstappen remains a contender, an intra-team battle for the title looks likely. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, currently separated by just 10 points, are hoping to become McLaren’s first champion since 2007.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
362 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
165 |
| 3 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
159 |
| 4 |
Red Bull Racing |
144 |
According to The Race, the belief in the F1 paddock is that McLaren’s advantage stems from their superior tyre management. They have found a way to keep the Pirelli compounds cooler than their rivals, unlocking more performance over both short and long runs.
The FIA have determined that McLaren have achieved this through legal means, i.e. simply channelling the airflow to the desired areas rather than using any banned tricks. But they may also have benefited from a grey area in the regulations.
As it stands, teams aren’t allowed to use any devices to increase or maintain the temperature of the tyres. But from next year, the wording will be adjusted to include the word ‘cool’.
Red Bull were developing a tyre cooling trick of their own before FIA intervention
If, as rivals suspect, McLaren have been exploiting the vague wording of the rules to manage tyre temperatures, then they may lose one of their biggest weapons next year.
While there will be a major overhaul in the regulations this winter, this was one area where continuity was expected. It’s a blow to McLaren’s chances of extending their dominance into a new era.
But it will also have a hidden impact on a competitor. It recently emerged that Red Bull were preparing a McLaren-style update aimed at controlling tyre temperatures.
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And Max Verstappen has confirmed that Red Bull have been studying McLaren in the hope of emulating their methods. Theoretically, they could still introduce a copycat update if they’ve cracked the code.
But in the cost-cap era, teams have to be wary about development spending. Is it worth investing what could be a large chunk of their budget in an upgrade that will at best deliver short-term gains and be of little use next year?
If not, then Red Bull engineers may have wasted precious time with their analysis. The time will soon come when they need to allocate almost all of their resources to 2026.
How the FIA may have accidentally wrecked Ferrari’s 2025 season
The latest rule change comes just after a new technical directive was introduced in Spain. The front wings are now subject to much stricter load tests.
It was theorised that this could have a significant impact on the battle at the front. Red Bull and Ferrari were particularly hopeful.
But the F1 pecking order was unchanged by the front-wing clampdown, according to technical expert Gary Anderson. This weekend’s Canadian GP may present a clearer picture.
Ferrari reportedly used 50% of their development budget on a new front wing to meet the requirements, but ended up losing relative performance. That could wreck their hopes of making a recovery in 2025.
