The FIA introduced a technical directive that was intended to take effect at the Spanish Grand Prix. The premise of the directive was to tackle the flexi-wings on several cars, most notably the McLaren. The front wings were appearing to flex too much, in the eyes of the FIA.
Coming into the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, teams were rather confident about McLaren losing performance, likely a few tenths of a second or so. There was a lot of hope from Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes that they could potentially steal the victory from Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris.
However, the race went on to show how unstoppable McLaren have truly become. The blistering pace from Piastri and Norris, despite the newer configuration of the front wing, shocked the paddock. Their 1-2 finish has set them apart from everyone else, and Max Verstappen’s late penalty for an intentional collision with George Russell has set him back in the championship as well.
F1 teams should write off the remainder of the 2025 season
McLaren have a gigantic gap in the constructor standings which no team will catch. Their two drivers have begun to separate themselves from the likes of Verstappen, Russell, and Charles Leclerc. Any hope that teams had to catch McLaren rapidly began to fade in Spain.
For the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes, they should focus on the battle among themselves. Just 21 points separate P2 from P4 in a battle that could very well last until the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The focus will turn into getting that final step on the podium each weekend.
Teams can be more comfortable switching their focus to next season’s car knowing they will not be sacrificing too much moving forward. All that is left to play for among the top teams is P2 in the constructor standings and P3/P4 in the driver standings, assuming Verstappen does not hinder himself any further.
McLaren have done a great job thus far in developing their car and separating themselves from the rest. Now they can focus solely on the battle that is poised to continue between Piastri and Norris into the summer.