FIA immediately ban 'loophole' for all F1 teams ahead of Dutch GP in major regulation change

The FIA have decided to immediately block a regulation 'loophole' ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.

F1 returns after its summer break to the Zandvoort Circuit - the home track of reigning three-time Drivers' Champion Max Verstappen.

The home hero will be looking to bounce back from a run of four races without a victory, including a fifth-placed finish at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out.

After Belgium, Verstappen admitted that his Red Bull team no longer have the fastest car on the grid, with McLaren and Mercedes closing the gap significantly in recent months.

It is instead Lewis Hamilton who has won two of the last three Grands Prix, with Oscar Piastri winning the other, and it remains to be seen whether he and Mercedes, McLaren or Red Bull will have the quickest car at Zandvoort.

One piece of information that is now common knowledge is a significant change to the technical regulations.

The FIA have decided to ban asymmetrical braking systems as of immediate effect.

The system works by using a component inside the braking circuit, which controls pressure supplied to the brakes and allows for stronger braking on the inner tire.

It helps to reduce low-speed understeer, and therefore cornering speeds.

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But Article 11.1.2 of F1's Technical Regulations now reads: "The brake system must be designed so that within each circuit, the forces applied to the brake pads are the same magnitude and act as opposing pairs on a given brake disc.

"Any system or mechanism which can produce, systematically or intentionally, asymmetric braking torques for a given axle is forbidden."

There were claims by F1 journalist Peter Windsor that Red Bull may have been running an asymmetrical braking system - the impending ban of which may have impacted their performance - but an FIA spokesperson has confirmed to Motorsport.com that this was not the case.

Red Bull mechanic Callum Nicholas also responded to Windsor's post on Twitter, writing: "Yeah, this is bulls**t... unsurprisingly. I've been building the car for 14 races, he hasn't."