Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believes an upcoming rule change could change the landscape of the current Formula One pecking order.
The Prancing Horse have suffered a dismal start to 2025, having become established as the fourth-quickest car and consistently off the pace throughout the first six races.
Drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have struggled to adapt to the SF-25, managing only one podium between them so far this year.
McLaren have been the pace setters so far in 2025, and lead both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. Competitors have pointed towards the team’s flexible wings that appear to push the limits of what is deemed legal within the sport, and the huge performance advantage it is believed to give McLaren.
Christian Horner has found the advantage particularly strange from the start of the season, with the Red Bull team principal calling for clarity over the topic all year.
A new technical directive is being introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix to combat this, which will see the permitted level of flex reduced from 15mm of movement to 10mm.
Vasseur believes technical directive could be a ‘game changer’
Ferrari were tipped as title challengers heading into this season, but have fallen well short of expectations.
Vasseur has revealed that the Scuderia are waiting to see what happens with the technical directive before introducing updates to their 2025 package.
“We are at the point where it’s difficult to do a big upgrade on the car because after four years with the same regulations, we are more fighting for details,” explained Ferrari’s team principal to Sky Sports.
“The biggest one probably will be Spain because we have a clear change of regulation with the completely new front wing. This could change a little bit the picture of the championship. Let’s wait for this.
“It could be a reset on the immediate picture, but not on the championship. The guy who will lead the championship in Spain will still lead the championship after Spain, but, in terms of pure performance, it could be a game-changer.”
Could McLaren be caught?
In the current state of Formula One, it seems impossible to imagine anyone jumping McLaren this season, given the level of dominance they have enjoyed so far this campaign.
Their lead in the standings is substantial, and they have only missed out on taking the chequered flag once in 2025.
| Standing | Team | Points |
| 1st | McLaren | 246 |
| 2nd | Mercedes | 141 |
| 3rd | Red Bull | 105 |
| 4th | Ferrari | 94 |
However, many thought Red Bull’s advantage was unassailable at this time last year, and they eventually finished third in 2024.
The Woking-based team’s drivers will take points off each other throughout the season, something 1982 world champion Mario Andretti has warned could go wrong with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s seemingly perfect partnership.
Therefore, if the technical directive in Spain massively impacts McLaren’s performance, then it could bring the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari back into the fight for race wins, and potentially a championship battle.
Time will tell if that eventuality becomes reality, but the other nine teams will be crossing their fingers that McLaren’s advantage is somewhat reduced at the Circuit de Catalunya.
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