The 2025 season has so far followed expectations, with McLaren emerging as the dominant force. The team from Woking has won five of the first six races, thanks in large part to their clever interpretation of the rules and strong tyre management. In Miami, McLaren clearly had an edge, especially in how well they kept their tyres working during the race.

But things changed at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. Max Verstappen took a clear win for Red Bull, and team boss Christian Horner said it was the first time in a long while they had the pace to pull away from McLaren and manage tyre wear better. Some people began to wonder why McLaren’s performance had dropped.

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As reported by The Race, some sources in Red Bull suggested that new technical directives from the FIA might have played a part. Just before the Imola weekend, the FIA sent out two technical updates to all teams. The first one was about the skid blocks on the bottom of the car, which are checked to make sure teams don’t run too low to the ground. The FIA reminded teams what kind of materials and fitting methods are allowed. If some teams had been pushing the limits before, they may have had to raise their cars slightly in Imola, which could affect speed and grip.

The second directive was about tyre cooling. It came after a conversation between Red Bull and the FIA, where the FIA made it clear that water-cooling systems for wheels and tyres are not allowed. There had been some talk in the paddock about how McLaren was so good at managing tyre temperatures, and this update may have added to the speculation.

However, McLaren said they had made no changes and that these new rules had nothing to do with their performance. Team boss Andrea Stella said during the Friday press conference that other teams were focusing on the wrong things, and that this only helps McLaren. FIA documents also confirmed that Oscar Piastri’s car had passed all checks after the Miami Grand Prix, and there were no issues with McLaren’s cars in Imola either.

Looking ahead, another technical directive is coming in two weeks at the Spanish Grand Prix. This one will focus on front wing flexibility. While these are not new rules, but rather clarifications of the existing ones, there is already talk about which teams might gain or lose from it.