Last Updated on May 20 2025, 5:20 pm

The clock is ticking and with just over a week before the F1 circus rolls into the Iberian peninsula, paddock analysts are sensing a shift in the F1 force. Whilst Max Verstappen failed to claim his fourth pole position of the year in Imola, he did force Oscar Piastri to blink into turn one which was crucial to the outcome of the race.

Its often said its easier to hunt than be the hunted and given how closely matched the McLaren drivers are no one can blame the inexperienced Piastri for playing it safe in Italy last weekend. With his team mate starting in just P4 there was nothing to be gained from challenging Verstappen on the opening lap with the result that both ended up off the track and possibly out of the race.

Max clearly sensed the hesitancy in the McLaren driver and sent it full commitment around the outside of the opening corner with his reward being that he won his second race of the year. Another win for the world champion in Monaco, would mean the championship lead would be cut to either just 15 or 12 points depending on which McLaren driver finished second and which finished third.

 

 

A change in the F1 force

Of course, normal McLaren service could resume this weekend in Monaco, although there was something about the Red Bull win at the Emilia-Romagne Grand Prix which suggested the team from Milton Keynes has cracked the tyre wear conundrum. Verstappen’s victory was not based on stealing the lead at the first turn and then clinging on whilst being harried by two papaya liveried cars. In fact he simply drive away from Piastri in the first stint and the Aussie had no answer to the Red Bull’s race pace.

Then again, maybe McLaren’s inability to match the Red Bull on rear tyre wear was due to something else which happened at the weekend. In the run up to the weekend, The FIA issued two technical directivesD) to the F1 teams. One of which was with regard to the materials which make up the skid block underneath the car, but this had no material effect in terms of performance but may prevent grass fires as we saw this year in Japan.

The second TD was more interesting in that it covered matters concerning brake cooling, a topic Red Bull has complained about accusing McLaren of using illegal procedures to control the temperature of its rear tyres. In Miami, Zak Brown CEO of McLaren sported a water bottle on the pit wall labelled, “tire water” in response to suggestions his team have been using this technique to keep the tyres cooler than the rest of the field.

In fact McLaren appear to have developed an intelligent cooling system for the brake drums suing PCM or Phase changing Materials. This allows the heat generated under braking to be dispersed and not transferred to the tyres as would otherwise be the case.

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New FIA technical directive

The materials used modify the internal volume of the cooling channels, making them larger and allowing more air to flow through and increase the cooling effect. 

The TD, released on May 12th, specifies that materials which modify the internal volume of the cooling channels inside the brakes cannot be used as the air which passes through varies in temperature. Expansion and contraction of the section within the brake drum would contravene rules which prohibit using active aerodynamic components.

Of course McLaren’s Andreas Stella refused to concede this TD had affected McLaren’s ability to manage its tyres at all. Yet the fact Verstappen just drive away from Piastri with clearly better tyre management than the McLaren has raised eyebrows in the paddock. Further, why did the FIA feel it necessary to clarify what is and isn’t acceptable in this area of the F1 car’s engineering?

Verstappen[en’s other win of the season in Japan, was created by him stealing a last ditch pole position and then making it to turn one first and hanging on for the rest of the race. This was not what we saw in Imola. Max was over ten seconds clear of the field come the virtual safety car where he made his first tyre change and he was around 20 seconds clear when the full safety car came later for the breakdown of Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes.

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Red Bull copying McLaren

Former F1 driver and commentator Christian Albers believes Red bull have made the breakthrough in emulating McLaren’s trick of regulating temperatures within the wheel drum. “We are trying to copy what McLaren has,” De Limburger quotes Verstappen as having said at the start of the Imola race weekend.

Albers himself questioned: ”How did Red Bull make such a leap in those long runs, so that they can keep those tyres so consistent?” Reported De Telegraaf. “You can see that they have modified the rear brake drums, so that the air can flow out better. Maybe that was it.”

Come Barcelona in under two weeks time it will become evident whether McLaren’s use of flexible bodywork has been a secret of their success in controlling the temperatures of the front tyres. The FIA are implementing new tests to replace the old static weight measurements, although Nicolas Tombazis has admitted its difficult to replicate the tests from car to car given the loads are all unique at various points within the corner.

With both McLaren drivers fighting each other for top dog status within the team, despite a difficult start to the year, Verstappen is uncomfortably close to the Papaya pair. With the exception of his spin in Melbourne which cost him 17 points, Piastri has been the more reliable of the two McLaren drivers as his 13 point lead over team mate Lando Norris is testament to.

Though as other team’s start to wind down their in season car development to focus resources on the big new rule changes coming in 2026, the three horse race could get even tighter.

Piastri reacts to Imola result

 

 

 

 

Ferrari & Hamilton: The cracks emerging in Italy

Ferrari and Hamilton: Cracks appear in Italy as frustration mounts over SF-25 performance – Last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Imola offered a glimmer of relief for Lewis Hamilton as the seven-time world champion secured a respectable fourth place behind the leaders. On paper, the result looks solid, even promising. But the mood in the Ferrari camp and among the passionate Tifosi remains one of muted disappointment. The long-awaited union between Hamilton and the Scuderia has yet to bear fruit, and patience is wearing thin in the heartland of Italian motorsport.

Hamilton, who joined Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season after more than a decade with Mercedes, was expected to usher in a new era of dominance. Instead, the Briton is struggling with the same frustrations that have plagued Ferrari in recent years: inconsistent performances, poor strategy decisions and a car that struggles to match the pace of its rivals over a full race weekend.

Despite his status as one of F1’s statistically greatest drivers, Hamilton has found himself caught up in the same systemic problems that have prevented Ferrari from returning to championship glory…. READ MORE