As The Race reports, the FIA has moved decisively to shut down a potential new Formula 1 development battle before it could spiral out of control. With the 2026 rules bringing back team-designed wheel rims instead of standard ones, engineers immediately seized on an intriguing way to control tyre temperatures. Ferrari introduced new rear wheel rims at the Barcelona Grand Prix to improve cooling, playing a part in Lewis Hamilton taking victory for the squad. Other outfits followed suit over the year, with McLaren pursuing new rim designs to better warm up front tyres while cooling the rears.
Tyre supplier Pirelli quickly noticed the huge impact these bespoke designs were having. Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra explained that it is quite a significant variation. Berra noted that stabilised conditions are much lower than in the past because the rim basically cools the whole wheel and the tyres themselves.
Those gains pointed straight toward an expensive winter development race. That potential triggered alarm bells within the FIA regarding teams taking the concept to extremes for performance gains. Specifically, authorities worried some squads might invest heavily in running one wheel rim design for qualifying and a completely different one for the race. The temptation was obvious: optimize temperatures for a single flying lap during qualifying, then switch to a setup designed to keep rubber cool for the grand prix.
To prevent that spending war, the FIA pushed through changes to the 2027 regulations. Approved by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, the new rules come into force from the start of 2027. They mandate that only a single specification of wheel rim may be used from the time a car enters pre-parc ferme before a sprint race or main grand prix. Teams must now stick to the exact same front and rear wheel rim specifications across both qualifying and the race, with the regulations clarifying that rims are considered used the moment a car leaves the pitlane with them fitted.
