Why Formula 1’s European Triple Header Can Determine Which Way The Remainder of the 2025 Season Goes

The Emilia Romagna GP 2025 kicks off a Formula 1 triple header in Europe – and it could well be a string of races that defines how the rest of the F1 season goes. 

It might seem like it is too early in the season to be making such a sweeping statement. After all, the season is only seven races old and there are still 17 races to go in the season. 

However, there is every reason to believe that the next 3 races could well determine who gets into a good position to win both the driver’s and constructor’s championships. 

The reasons for that are twofold – and the first one is down to what is almost an F1 tradition at this point. 

The start of the European leg of races leads to multiple teams bringing upgrade packages to their car – whether small or large. 

The reason for this is simple – all teams are based in Europe and therefore, production of the parts and the subsequent transportations becomes much easier. 

It also gives a big sample size of tracks to test out the upgrades on, as all tracks present different types of challenges for the teams.

Both Ferrari and Mercedes, teams that are looking to close the gap to McLaren, have planned upgrades that will be debuted in Imola. 

Of course, there is another major change to keep an eye out for during the triple header – and it will come in the final race of the triple header. 

From the Spanish GP 2025, teams will be subjected to more stringent front wing flexibility checks. The permitted level of flex will be reduced from 15mm to 10mm, meaning a few teams may well bring new front wings. 

Whether McLaren will do so remains open to interpretation, as they are seen as the team who take the most advantage of the flexi-wing rules. 

But if the wing is giving McLaren as much of an advantage as some thing it is, then it could well lead to other teams closing the gap. 

Of course, there’s every possibility that McLaren continue to remain dominant. But even without that, there is another reason why big upgrades may not come by too often after Spain. 

A big rule change is coming in the 2026 season – the engines will see the MGU-H being dropped with an increased amount of electrical power and will be run on fully sustainable fuels. 

The technical regulations of the car will also see a significant change as the cars are set to become lighter and slimmer. 

It is widely believed to be the biggest rule reset since the 2014 season, when the current turbo-hybrid power units first came into effect. 

And a rule change this big means a good number of teams will switch their focus to next season’s cars relatively early. 

Given that, it seems unlikely that teams will continue to majorly develop cars in the second half of the season. 

Which is why most will hope that whatever upgrades they make now can do the trick for the rest of the season.