The Formula 1 world is again in turmoil, this time by accusations that the FIA, the international motor sport federation, deliberately designed its new rules for the 2025 season to disadvantage four-time world champion Max Verstappen. These controversial claims, which went on social media such as X viral, have further fueled the tensions between the FIA, Red Bull and the wider Paddock. An insider, reportedly close to the FIA ​​technical committee, has now officially pronounced, which makes the discussion even more explosive. While McLaren dominates and Verstappen is struggling to defend his title, fans and experts wonder: is the Dutchman treated unfairly?

The accusations stem from a series of rule changes that were introduced for the 2025 season, in particular around the flexibility of wings and the guidelines for wheel-on-wheel fights. According to an article by GPFans, published on 7 May 2025, Jos Verstappen, Max ‘father, expressed his frustration about the “idiotic” decision of the FIA ​​to introduce stricter front wings stricter front wings from the Spanish Grand Prix. This delay would have given McLaren, which dominated the first six races of 2025 with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, an unfair advantage. Jos ’comments reflect a growing sentiment within Red Bull that the FIA ​​rules are being used more incredibly, with Verstappen as the main target.

Another point of contents are the stricter guidelines for racing, which were revised after the 2024 season after incidents with Verstappen, including in Austin and Mexico. According to The Race, published on April 27, 2025, these rules were adjusted to define more clearly when a driver gets an advantage by leaving the job, as happened during Verstappen’s confrontation with Piasti in Saudi Arabia, where he received a five-second punishment. Critics, including former champion Jacques Villeneuve, claim that the FIA ​​stewards Verstappen are more punished than others, such as Piastri, who is seen as the “Golden Boy” and receives sanctions less quickly. This alleged lack of consistency has led to speculation that the FIA ​​Verstappen wants to slow down to promote competition.

The insider, whose identity has not been completely unveiled, but who, according to sources on X has tires with the FIA’s technical department, stated that the rule changes are not a personal attack on Verstappen, but an attempt to make the sport “more fair and more exciting”. This statement, published in a Racingnews365 article on May 16, 2025, emphasizes that the FIA ​​wants to break through the dominance of one driver or team, referring to Verstappens unparalleled success since 2021. However, the insider admitted that the performance of some rules, as the delayed wing tests, was reinforced, “suboptimally”. This confession did not have the minds, especially not among Verstappens fans, who speak of a “conspiracy” against their champion on X.

As usual, Verstappen himself has been reserved in the public debate. After his punishment in Miami for an on labyrinthine pit stop, where, according to GPFans, he received a time penalty of ten seconds but no penalty points, he remained stoically: “I focus on racing, not on politics.” Nevertheless, he hinted in Imola, where he unveiled McLaren’s “temperature smuggling trick” with five other drivers, in frustration about the FIA’s slow response to technical gray areas. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner called on the FIA ​​to relax the rules for fighting, because the current guidelines make racing “unnatural”, especially for aggressive drivers such as Verstappen.

The controversy comes at a crucial moment, with McLaren that both the driver and constructors’ championship leads and Verstappen who is 32 points behind Piastri. The Grand Prix of Imola, where the FIA ​​is now investigating McLaren’s brake system, could be a turning point. While FIA ​​president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who is under pressure because of earlier controversies such as the penalties for cursing, promises to revise the rules, the question remains: are the changes really intended to improve the sport, or is Verstappen the victim of a conscious attempt to move the power relationships? Whatever the answer, the Saga around Verstappen and the FIA ​​ensures that Formula 1 is more exciting than ever in 2025 – both on and next to the track.