In the latest World Council meeting held in Rwanda, the FIA introduced two changes to the 2025 regulations: on a sporting level, the introduction of a cooling kit for drivers in extreme weather conditions during GPs was decided. To prevent heatstroke, it is required that drivers use cooling materials, while on a technical level, the rule governing DRS has been changed.
The rule will apply whenever the FIA’s official weather system registers air temperatures above 30.5 degrees or when the race director deems it necessary to intervene to prevent potential heat hazards.
The minimum weight (measured with the car and driver on board) will therefore be increased by 5 kg for the entire weekend to compensate for the additional mass required by the cooling system.
The FIA’s technical department, led by Nikolas Tombazis, has reduced the gap between the movable flap and the main profile of the rear wing. This decision was made to avoid similar solutions to McLaren’s from being seen in the 2025 season. In fact, the Woking team had used what was called a “mini-DRS” in their low-drag wing version, which allowed them to reduce aerodynamic drag in high-speed sections by deforming the profile.
This solution, also used at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, sparked a lot of controversy during the Azerbaijan GP, won by Oscar Piastri, where Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari could not launch an attack down the straight, even with the rear wing open.
The FIA has decided to reduce the gap between the closed and open flap and the main profile from 10-15 mm to 9.4-13 mm, maintaining a maximum distance of 85 mm between the two elements. To prevent excessive use of DRS, the FIA has specified that there can only be two positions in the flap’s movement, and the movable element must return to its initial position once closed, implying that in 2024 there were different options for using it.
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