Formula 1
Max Verstappen to be hit with shocking fee following 2023 F1 success
Max Verstappen will be hit by a shocking charge for a superlicense after securing his third Formula 1 world drivers' championship.
Edited: Dec 19, 2023, 12:19 PM
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Verstappen will be reportedly charged over €1.2 million to for the superlicense he needs to compete again next year.
The three-time world champion won 19 of the 22 races in 2023 which, with licenses increasing in cost for every point a driver scores, will result in a massive charge from the FIA.
Thankfully for Verstappen, the hefty fee for next year won’t be paid by himself, as he revealed: “The team pays that, fortunately.”
He told Dutch broadcaster Viaplay: “I do think there should be some normal ratio in that. But you know, things like that get written down, and I don’t think anybody expected that there would end up being that many points scored.”
Red Bull is the only team to confirm they will pay the superlicence fee for Verstappen and it is not known whether his team-mate Sergio Perez or other drivers will have to pay their own fees.
Verstappen finished the season with 575 points in 2023, which is the most points ever secured by a driver in a season. However, Verstappen’s dominance has left the driver with an eye-watering cost to ensure he can drive next year.
The Dutchman had previously branded the costs as “absurd” where he added: “I don’t think it’s right that we have to pay so much. It’s not the case in other sports either. And there are more and more races.”
Fortunately for Red Bull the driver salaries and fees are not included in the FIA’s budget cap which ensures teams limit spending and gives a more level playing field to each team.
Team principal Christian Horner also told Viaplay: “I mean, it’s a luxury problem to have because we’ve had to score the points to generate the invoice. Thankfully, it’s outside of the budget cap. But yeah, it’s a big cheque to be writing to the FIA.”
What is a superlicence?
An FIA superlicence is the highest type of licence available and is a mandatory requirement by any driver who wants to compete in Formula 1. The licence is awarded to drivers by the F1 governing body, the FIA.
The superlicence was first introduced in the 1990s, but a governing age was added in 2015, following Verstappen’s debut in 2015. Verstappen was 17 years and 166 days old when he first made his F1 debut, with the FIA adding the rule to prevent potentially unsafe and inexperienced drivers from competing.
Photo by: Sutton Images
Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso
How do you get a superlicence?
Drivers must complete a series of requirements to be rewarded their superlicence, including being at least 18 years old when they would first compete in F1, hold a valid driving licence and pass an FIA theory test of the F1 sporting codes and regulations.
Those who have held a superlicence for the previous three seasons are still eligible to apply for a new one if they plan to make their return to F1. This means that drivers such as Nyck De Vries, who was dropped from AlphaTauri in the first half of the 2023 season, could reapply for their superlicence and make his F1 return in the next few years.
How much does a superlicence cost?
The mandatory superlicence reportedly consists of a €10,400 base figure that every driver must pay to ensure they can compete in the following season. There is also a reported additional charge of €2,100 for every point scored in the season that has just passed.
How much will Verstappen have to pay for his superlicence for 2024?
Verstappen secured 575 points in the 2023 season which comes with a staggering additional cost to the drivers superlicence, with each point achieved costing the driver an additional €2,100. Having scored 575 points in 2023, Verstappen’s licence fee is sat at €1,217,900.
How much will the F1 drivers pay for their superlicence for 2024?
Here’s the full list of how much each driver will reportedly have to pay for their 2024 superlicence:
Name
Points
Total Cost
575
€1,217,900
Sergio Perez
285
€608,900
234
€501,800
206
€443,000
206
€443,000
205
€440,900
200
€430,400
175
€377,900
97
€214,100
74
€165,800
62
€140,600
58
€132,200
27
€67,100
17
€46,100
10
€31,400
9
€29,300
6
€23,000
Zhou Guanyu
6
€23,000
3
€16,700
2
€14,600
1
€12,500
How much with the FIA make from F1 drivers’ superlicences in total?
According to these numbers, the total figure that the FIA will receive from F1’s drivers in 2024, to allow them to race, is €5,380,200.
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