What the latest regulatory modifications mean for the 2025 Formula 1 season

The Australian Grand Prix will be the first race where these new rules apply, giving us our first look at how teams have adapted. This guide breaks down each change clearly, explaining what has changed, why it matters, and how it will affect racing throughout the 2025 season.

Mandatory two-stop racing strategy for Monaco

Monaco’s Grand Prix is famous for having little overtaking, so a new rule aims to create more exciting racing. Drivers now must use three sets of tyres across two different compounds during the race, with one compound being mandatory. This change comes after the 2024 Monaco race, where an early red flag allowed all cars to change tyres and finish the race without making any pit stops during normal racing.

There’s no rule about how long drivers must use each set of tyres, and they can still change tyres during red flags or safety car periods. This keeps strategy options open for the teams.

Pirelli will bring their softer C6 tyre to Monaco, which should encourage more pit stops. Usually at Monaco, a two-stop strategy would be faster in theory, but teams avoid it because track position is more important than pure speed on such a narrow circuit.

Teams with cars starting at the back might try unusual strategies, like making both required pit stops early, especially if there’s a safety car early in the race.

Elimination of fastest lap point allocation

The point that was given to the driver with the fastest lap in a race (if they finished in the top ten) has been removed for 2025. This change means there will be 24 fewer points available across the entire season.

This change will most affect teams that typically finish third or fourth in races. These teams often had enough of a gap to the cars behind them to make a “free” pit stop for fresh tyres late in the race, just to try for the fastest lap point. Now, racing will focus only on finishing positions.

The new points system will likely change how teams make decisions near the end of races. We’ll probably see fewer pit stops when positions are already secure. Teams will need to adjust their strategies now that this extra point is no longer available.

Driver cooling provisions for extreme temperatures

After the extremely hot conditions during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, where drivers struggled physically due to the heat and were forced to push hard continuously because of tyre rules, F1 has added new cooling rules for 2025.

The rules now require teams to provide extra cooling for drivers when temperatures go above 31 degrees Celsius. This focuses on driver health and safety during races in very hot conditions.

Teams are allowed to add up to 5kg of extra weight to the car when using these cooling systems. This means teams won’t be at a disadvantage for keeping their drivers safe. The rule balances driver safety with fair competition.

Stricter aerodynamic component testing

The rules about how much wings can bend have gotten stricter, with tougher tests now applied to both front and rear aerodynamic parts.

From the start of the season, rear beam wings can only bend by 0.8 degrees when two forces of 150N are applied. Front wing tests will get stricter from late May, reducing allowed bending from 15mm to 10mm when 1000N of force is applied to both sides. When force is applied to just one side, allowed bending decreases from 20mm to 15mm. Front wing flaps can now only bend 3mm under 60N of force, down from 5mm.

These changes target teams that might be using flexible wings to gain an advantage by changing shape at high speeds. The stricter rules close potential loopholes that teams might have been exploiting.

Teams will have been working hard to make sure their cars pass these stricter tests while still performing well. This might change which teams have the fastest cars early in the season.

Increased minimum vehicle mass requirements

The minimum weight for F1 cars has gone up by 2kg in 2025, increasing from 798kg to 800kg. This small increase helps teams meet various technical requirements while keeping the competition fair.

As mentioned earlier, cars are allowed an extra 5kg when using driver cooling systems in hot races. This ensures teams aren’t punished for keeping their drivers safe.

This small weight increase shows how F1 regulations try to balance controlling the cars while allowing for technical progress. F1 cars have gradually become heavier over the years as safety and performance features have been added.

Expanded young driver participation requirements

Teams now need to give more chances to new drivers, with rules doubling the number of mandatory young driver appearances in Friday practice sessions. Each team must now give two FP1 practice opportunities per car to drivers who have raced in fewer than three F1 races.

This change helps develop new talent while giving teams fresh feedback about their cars. Teams usually schedule these sessions toward the end of the season, often at the final race in Abu Dhabi. They avoid putting rookies in during Sprint weekends because there’s only one practice session.

This rule creates an interesting situation for drivers like Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), and Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls). If they compete in two races early in the season, they’ll still count as “young drivers” for these practice sessions, while drivers with more experience will need to sit out.

Changes to race management procedures

Several changes have been made to how races are managed. Race steward panels can now have four officials instead of three during busy race weekends, helping them handle complicated situations better.

Race directors now have more options for wet weather starts. They can start races behind the Safety Car without forcing teams to use full wet weather tyres. This helps in situations where the track is wet but not wet enough for extreme rain tyres. The 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix is an example where this rule would have been useful.

If qualifying can’t happen due to bad weather (like almost happened in Brazil last year), the starting grid will now be formed based on championship positions. This gives a clear backup plan.

Drivers starting from the pit lane will now be allowed to complete the formation lap. This makes pit lane procedures match what happens on the grid. Teams working in the pit lane will follow the same timing rules as teams on the grid.

Technical testing limitations and post-season testing protocols

Testing older F1 cars (from previous seasons) now has new limits. Teams can only test for 20 days and drive up to 1000km. Previously, there were no limits. This rule helps control costs while still giving teams some testing opportunities.

The end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi has been adjusted too. Each team will run one 2025 car for young driver testing and one special 2026 “mule car” for Pirelli to test tyres for the new rules coming in 2026. This approach allows teams to develop new drivers while also helping prepare for the major rule changes coming next year.

How these rule changes will affect the 2025 season

This guide has explained all the important rule changes for the 2025 Formula 1 season. Here’s what these changes mean:

The two-stop rule for Monaco will completely change how teams approach F1’s most famous race. Teams will need to plan different strategies rather than just focusing on qualifying well and keeping track position.

Removing the fastest lap point takes away 24 points from the total championship. Teams will need to rethink how they approach the end of races since there’s no longer a reward for pitting for fresh tyres to set the fastest lap.

The stricter tests for flexible wings will affect how teams design their cars. Technical teams will need to make sure their wings pass these tougher tests while still performing well. This might cause some teams to be faster or slower at the start of the season depending on how well they’ve adapted.

The new cooling rules for hot races help protect drivers’ health while the extra weight allowance makes sure teams aren’t penalised for safety measures.

Doubling the number of practice sessions for young drivers creates more opportunities for new talent and gives teams fresh perspectives on their cars.

The changes to race management procedures give race directors more options and better backup plans for unusual situations.