The FIA has announced that the additional bonus point which was handed to the driver with the fastest lap in a Formula 1 race will be removed from the 2025 season.
The bonus point was introduced in 2019 as an attempt to avoid races being dull in the closing laps when the gaps between the points-contending cars are spread out.
However, it hasn’t had a marked impact on the spectacle as the point has tended to go to the driver within the top teams who retains the gap behind to make a pit stop.
The topic was discussed at the latest meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, which concluded with the decision to abolish the regulation at the end of this season.
This means the points structure will return to the one used between 2010 and 2018, where the maximum points available to a driver from the full-length race was 25.
Elsewhere, the FIA has also revealed that teams will be obliged to hand practice opportunities to rookie drivers on four occasions during a campaign, starting in 2025.
Each permanent driver will have to sit out an FP1 session on two occasions next season to a driver who has completed two or fewer appearances in an F1 Grand Prix.
This will double the track time that newcomers will be exposed to on race weekends, as the current rule requires each full-time driver to give up a single practice hour.
Tweaks to 2026 F1 regulations
Meanwhile, the FIA has also announced that a proposal was presented to the WMSC surrounding the 2026 regulations which intends to address previous complaints.
The initial guidelines were met with scepticism among drivers and teams, who expressed concern that the FIA’s targets were not achievable under their current guise.
In response, changes have been made to the technical, sporting and financial regulations for 2026.
Section C of the 2026 technical regulations, pertaining to aerodynamics, has seen an “extensive review” according to the FIA.
Aerodynamic changes are hoping to succesfully improve performance, whilst managing the wake characteristics of the cars to improve racing.
Wake was a big part of the 2022 rule changes, and was reduced amid the introduction of the current rule cycle, but F1’s teams have gradually reintroduced dirty air back to the sport since, which the FIA will seek to mitigate in 2026.
The sporting regulations for 2026 will reflect two of the biggest changes coming to F1 cars in two years, the power units and movable aero.
Measures have been introduced to regulate energy management with the new PUs, which will have a greater reliance on electrical output compared to the current engines.
Moreover, measures will be in place to manage the deployment of the “‘straight-line mode’ (low drag) and the ‘cornering mode’ (high downforce)” movable aero on the 2026 F1 cars.
To help bed in these changes, three pre-season tests comprising three days each will bring in the 2026 campaign.
The forthcoming financial regulatory changes coming in 2026 relate to the cost cap.
In essence, the cost-cap will remain equivalent to its current value, with the set limit adjusted relevant to the changes being made in the regulations, which seek to further clarify cost-cap exclusions and inflation.
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