The biggest changes between past and present in the world’s premier motorsport: Formula 1

Welcome to the St. Chris Current. My name is Hriday Kansal. I’m essentially the F1 guy - I have my own blog about Formula 1 (f1ntastic.com), I’m the STEM Racing Student Ambassador (formerly F1 in Schools), and I am now a STEM writer for the St. Chris Current. Today, let’s navigate the key changes that Formula 1 has faced coming into the 2025 season. The FIA, the governing body for F1 makes changes to the sport every year, and here are 5 key changes that may seem small, but can have major impacts on the pinnacle of motorsport.  

Format Changes

The end of the Fastest Lap point

The famous Fastest Lap point was brought back to F1 in 2019. If a driver got the fastest lap and finished in the Top 10 of the race, they would earn an extra championship point. However, given the fact that championships can be won or lost by the barest of margins, the fastest lap point has been used to affect the outcomes of races. For example, drivers take an extra pitstop towards the end of a race so that they can get the fastest lap (if they can do that without losing track position). However, that isn’t the cause for concern. What was happening was that drivers outside the Top 10 would pit and take the fastest lap to prevent a driver in the Top 10 from getting that going (like when Daniel Ricciardo took the fastest lap from Lando Norris at the Singapore GP. Hence, the fastest lap point has been scrapped once again, eliminating the concerns and controversy surrounding it. 

Rookies get more track time

Since 2022, teams have had to let a rookie race at least once in each of their cars during Free Practice 1, meaning two FP1 sessions per team would be driven by a rookie. However, in 2025, that requirement has been doubled. That means over the course of the season, teams have to let rookies race each of their cars twice, meaning a total of 4 FP1 sessions for each team must be driven by an inexperienced driver.

The drivers that qualify for this must have raced in no more than two F1 world championship races in their career. Last year, drivers like Ollie Bearman, Arthur Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli were among the drivers who participated in these FP1 sessions. Ollie Bearman and Kimi Antonelli are now full-time drivers in 2025, showing that these practice sessions can potentially help rookies secure seats in F1 in the future.

New procedure for deciding the grid if qualifying is disrupted

The 2024 Brazilian GP weekend was heavily disrupted by weather conditions that rendered the track unraceable at times. There was a possibility that qualifying would not take place. However, the procedure for setting the grid in case qualifying did not take place. Earlier, the Sporting Regulations stated that if qualifying could not take place, the stewards had the right to decide the grid order for the race based on the results of the most recent practice session. However, the Brazilian GP was a Sprint weekend; there had been a practice session on Friday morning, and a Sprint Qualifying session on Friday afternoon with completely different results, so it was unclear what the stewards would be able to use as the grid order for the actual Grand Prix in case the qualifying session did not take place.

This year, the regulations have been cleared up. If qualifying cannot take place, the grid will be set based on the drivers’ championship standings. The FIA were aware of this loophole before the Brazilian GP and had announced this change before that race took place, but this change only came into effect this year. 

Technical Changes

Gearbox limit scrapped

The engine of an F1 car, known as the power unit, is incredibly complex. Alongside the power unit is the gearbox. The components of the power unit and the gearbox wear out throughout the F1 season and need to be replaced. However, the FIA limits how many times these components are replaced each year. If a team replaces a component more than they are allowed to, then the driver faces a grid penalty. A grid penalty is when the driver has to start a set number of places (usually 10 places) lower than they qualified. 

For using more than five gearboxes in a single season, a driver would face a 5-place grid penalty in 2024. However, in 2025, this limit has been scrapped. The reason power unit components and gearbox components were limited was to reduce costs for teams so that teams wouldn’t replace their engine components unnecessarily. However, the gearbox isn’t a major cost for teams. The grid penalty for excess gearbox changes was rather unnecessary, which is why it has been removed. This also allows engine manufacturers to improve gearbox performance and reliability. 

Ruling out wing flexibility

Those who followed the 2024 F1 season may be aware of the controversy surrounding McLaren’s rear wing. Their rear wing’s DRS flap was aeroelastic - this means that at high speeds, the rear wing flap would deform (bend) in a way that more air would pass through the wing, reducing drag and increasing straight-line speed when DRS was not enabled. McLaren and Mercedes’ front wings were also more aeroelastic than others, with Red Bull and Ferrari raising concerns to the FIA about the legality of these designs.

In response, the FIA has clamped down on rear wing flexibility. The rear wing DRS flap is now only allowed to be in two positions - open and closed. There is no in-between and very limited flexibility allowed. Similar restrictions on the flexibility of the front wing are soon to be introduced - this will only come into effect at Round 9 (Spanish Grand Prix) as it is awaiting some approvals. These regulation changes are designed to ensure that the competition is fair and that teams don’t try to bend the rules with bendy wings. 

What’s Next?

We’re at the dawn of a new season with new faces, new rules, new cars, new challenges, but the same old euphoria. Nothing matches the feeling you get when a car roars down the track at 320kph. I can’t wait for this season of Formula 1 to begin, and I hope you’re excited for it too. 

P.S. Speaking of new faces, while I was writing this article, Formula 1 and the FIA confirmed that Cadillac will race in Formula 1 from the 2026 Season onwards as Formula 1’s 11th team. Exciting news!