The FIA enacted a significant regulatory revision for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Red Bull exposed a loophole their competitors had been exploiting. As one of the most anticipated events on the 2025 calendar, the race arrives amid heightened scrutiny, especially following a dramatic wet qualifying session where Lando Norris clinched pole position ahead of Max Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri lining up fifth. The Vegas circuit, still relatively new to Formula One, has already demanded multiple technical adjustments, one of which stemmed from Red Bull’s formal complaint last season.
Ahead of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Red Bull alerted the FIA to the use of protective plates over skid blocks on cars fielded by Mercedes, Ferrari, and Haas. Skid blocks, essential components positioned beneath every F1 car, are designed to regulate ride height and wear down under extreme kerb contact. Because teams aim to run their cars as low as possible to maximise aerodynamic load, the FIA enforces a strict rule permitting no more than 1mm of skid block wear after a session—breaches of which have led to prior disqualifications, including Hamilton and Leclerc at the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
The protective plates used by some teams effectively circumvented this rule by shielding the skid blocks from abrasion, undermining the FIA’s regulation on ride height. Red Bull’s protest, made after the Brazilian Grand Prix, prompted swift action. The FIA issued a technical directive banning such plates entirely, ensuring teams could no longer mask excessive plank wear. The directive was implemented immediately ahead of the Vegas race weekend, closing the loophole before it could influence competitive outcomes.
The rule change had minimal impact on the frontrunners in the title battle. McLaren and Red Bull—locked in a fiercely contested championship fight—were among the only teams unaffected by the new constraints, as neither outfit employed the protective devices. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s dominance at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix secured his fourth World Drivers’ Championship, underscoring that the regulation shift did little to alter the competitive order at the front of the grid.
As Formula One returns to the Strip for its third edition, the echoes of last year’s regulatory controversy continue to shape the sport’s evolving technical landscape. The FIA’s decisive intervention reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing clarity and fairness within an aggressively innovative paddock. With the championship once again delicately poised, every technical directive carries outsized weight, ensuring the battle between Red Bull, McLaren, and their rivals remains both legitimate and fiercely contested.
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