Red Bull Motorsports
F1
These are the new rules for the 2025 Formula One season
We look ahead to the 2025 F1 season which will see Max Verstappen race for another F1 World Championship against a grid packed with world champions and a field of talented young drivers.
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In 2025 F1 celebrates its 75th anniversary and this season will be the last to feature the aerodynamically redesigned cars that were introduced by the 2022 rule change. In 2026, F1 will see a dramatic rule change that could dramatically shake up the grid. For Red Bull Racing, the challenge will be how to remain at the front.
Yuki Tsunoda in action at the Red Bull Ring
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
01
No point for setting the fastest lap
The extra point for the claiming the fastest lap in a Grand Prix has been a useful source of points for Red Bull Racing since the rule was introduced in 2019. Max Verstappen has claimed more of those single points than any other driver, taking a total 29 bonus points so far in the World Championship while Red Bull Racing have 39 points in the Constructors’ World Championship.
The rule has been scrapped for 2025 and Sergio Pérez is one of the few drivers who is sorry to see it go as it added an extra competitive element to Grands Prix. "There were races especially when the championship is pretty tight between teams and drivers where that could really make a difference. We are talking about 24 points a season,” he said. “I don’t know why it changed, I just felt like it was quite good.”
In fairness, the fastest lap point has never proven decisive in either title race and with only drivers finishing in the top 10 able to score the bonus point, it’s rarely benefitted teams further down the grid.
Young drivers like Liam Lawson will shake up the grid
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
02
More opportunity for young drivers
From 2025, teams will be obliged to give a junior driver the opportunity to take part in free practice. This will help the Red Bull Junior Team to continue developing young drivers to join the F1 grid in the future. The current grid is bursting with Red Bull Junior Team graduates with Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda now joined by Liam Lawson. Along the garage, former alumni include Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly, who is being joined at Alpine by Jack Doohan as another former Red Bull Junior Team driver moves into the elite racing.
After several years with little to no change in driver line-up, the 2025 season sees a wealth of young talent make the step up to F1 including Kimi Antonelli, Ollie Bearman and Gabriel Bortoletto. This rule change will also help prepare even more young talents for a future in F1.
03
Building a new engine for 2026
Trackside, all eyes turn to the 2025 title race, but behind the scenes the teams will be devoting considerable resources to preparing for the 2026 season. The biggest shift is a move to new engines which will be powered by 100 percent sustainable fuels and half their power will be from kinetic recovery systems.
The Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 in testing
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Yuki Tsunoda puts the VCARB 01 through its paces
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB F1 Team will meet the challenge by making their own engines for the first time in 20 years of racing. Red Bull Ford Powertrains is currently designing and refining the engines that will power the teams into a new era of F1. Last month, the FIA announced the 2026 season will open with three special, three-day tests for the new engines to help the teams get to grips with the new technology.
Team leaders Christian Horner, Pierre Waché and Laurent Mekies
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04
New F1 cars take shape
The teams also need to ready the new RB21 and VCARB02 chassis for 2026. These are designed to be lighter and more agile with some clever tech to encourage even more close racing. Active aerodynamics will allow the front and rear wings to move, enabling drivers to close on the car in front. When within a second of the car in front, a boost of battery power will make it easier to pass. The cars will also be stronger than ever to improve driver safety.
05
How do rules affect F1 racing?
The rules are complex and precise but still result in very different approaches by teams in their car design. So it’s worth taking a step back to look at the rules in the context of the wider aims of motorsport – it’s not purely about entertainment but also developing next-gen vehicles, engines, tyres and fuels as well as ensuring they are sustainable, reliable and re-useable. Another aim is to expand the sport and make it even more competitive by adding more teams – so keeping costs down is essential.
With that in mind, the rules not only limit the number of new engines, tyres and components available to teams but also the amount of resources they can pour into developing more: it’s all about efficiency.
Max Verstappen on the charge at Zandvoort
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
06
Sprint Races continue to evolve
Sprint Racing is back with six more rounds. Brazil is the only ever-present on the Sprint Race schedule, while the Belgian Grand Prix returns after sitting out 2024. The format remains unchanged with Free Practice on Friday followed by a Sprint Race qualifying session in the afternoon. The next day opens with the 100km Sprint Race and then Quali for the feature race, with the Grand Prix on Sunday.
The six Sprint Race rounds in 2025 are in Shanghai, Miami, Spa, COTA, Interlagos and Lusail.
Red Bull Racing lead the way into 2025
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
07
The 2025 F1 World Championship calendar
The main changes in the 2025 calendar sees the Australian Grand Prix restored to its traditional position as the championship curtain raiser. And there are five back-to-back races and three triple-headers, including Japan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April and the season-closing Las Vegas-Qatar-Abu Dhabi. Check it out below...
Round
Race
Date
Testing
Bahrain Grand Prix
Feb 26-28
R1
Australian Grand Prix
Mar 14-16
R2
Chinese Grand Prix
March 21-23
R3
Japanese Grand Prix
Apr 4-6
R4
Bahrain Grand Prix
Apr 11-13
R5
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Apr 28-30
R6
Miami Grand Prix
May 2-4
R7
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
May 16-18
R8
Monaco Grand Prix
May 23-25
R9
Spanish Grand Prix
May 30- June 1
R10
Canadian Grand Prix
June 13-15
R11
Austrian Grand Prix
June 27-29
R12
Great Britain Grand Prix
July 4-6
R13
Belgian Grand Prix
July 25-27
R14
Hungarian Grand Prix
Aug 1-3
R15
Netherlands Grand Prix
Aug 29-31
R16
Italian Grand Prix
Sept 5-7
R17
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Sept 19-21
R18
Singapore States Grand Prix
Oct 3-5
R19
United States Grand Prix
Oct 17-19
R20
Mexico Grand Prix
Oct 24-26
R21
Brazil Grand Prix *
Nov 7-9
R22
Las Vegas Grand Prix
Nov 20-22
R23
Qatar Grand Prix *
Nov 28-30
R24
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Dec 5-7
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