New FIA Heat Risk Rule to Protect Drivers in Extreme Temps

The FIA introduces stricter regulations following McLaren’s mini-DRS incident and implements a heat risk rule for driver safety.

The FIA has announced several changes to the 2025 Formula 1 regulations to clarify certain points. The first relates to McLaren F1’s mini-DRS, which the federation had banned without specifying a framework. This component slightly opened in Baku even when it was supposed to remain closed, exploiting a tolerance in flexibility.

To address this issue, the FIA has now amended its technical regulations for 2025. It requires the DRS flap to adhere to the same deformation restrictions as the car’s bodywork when the system is not deployed.

“Except for driver-adjustable bodywork when deployed, all aerodynamic components or bodywork affecting the car’s aerodynamic performance must be rigidly fixed and immobile relative to their reference frame defined in Article 3.3,” states the updated regulations.

Another clause has been added to define a minimum gap between rear wing elements when the DRS is not activated: “At any point across the span, the rear wing profiles (as defined in Article 3.10.1) must have a minimum gap of 9.4 mm and a maximum of 13 mm. This applies when the DRS is not deployed (as defined in Article 3.10.10) and will be measured using a spherical gauge.”

A “Heat Risk” rule introduced

A new rule has been introduced to prevent drivers from suffering excessively from heat. The FIA will now define “heat risk” periods if forecasts indicate a temperature exceeding 30.5 degrees during a Sprint or a race.

This heat risk must be declared at least 24 hours in advance, allowing teams to equip cars with components designed to cool drivers. The minimum weight will then increase from 800 to 805 kilograms for each car.

“If the official weather service predicts that the heat index will exceed 30.5°C at any point during the sprint or race of a competition, or at the sole discretion of the race director, a heat risk may be declared twenty-four (24) hours before the scheduled start of the competition,” the article states.

“Once a heat risk is declared, it remains in effect for the entire duration of the competition. All competitors will be informed via the official messaging system.”

“Once a heat risk is declared: (a) Additional components to assist driver cooling must be installed, including driver cooling systems as described in Article 14.6 of the Technical Regulations. (b) In accordance with Articles 4.1 and 4.7 of the Technical Regulations, the Heat Risk Weight Increase will apply.”