Breaking: FIA Super Licence Fees Explained as Norris Pays the Price and Hamilton Faces H…read more
FIA Super Licence Fees Explained as Norris Pays the Price and Hamilton Faces Hefty Bill
Formula 1 drivers rank among the highest-paid athletes in global sport, with top names earning tens of millions of pounds each season through salaries, bonuses, and sponsorships. However, even at the pinnacle of motorsport, success comes with an unusual cost. Under FIA regulations, drivers must pay substantial super licence fees simply to be allowed to race in the following season — and the better they perform, the more expensive that permission becomes.
As preparations begin for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign, the FIA’s super licence fee structure has once again drawn attention, with leading drivers such as Lando Norris and Max Verstappen facing enormous bills, while others, including Lewis Hamilton, fall somewhere in the middle of the scale.
How the FIA Super Licence System Works
To compete in Formula 1, every driver must hold a valid FIA super licence. This licence must be renewed annually, and the cost is calculated using a two-part formula.
First, all drivers pay a fixed base fee of approximately £10,250. On top of that, they are charged an additional £2,070 for every championship point scored in the previous season. The system means that a driver’s on-track success directly determines how much they must pay to line up on the grid the following year.
While the rule applies equally to all competitors, it disproportionately affects the most successful drivers — effectively penalising high performance.
Norris and Verstappen Among the Biggest Spenders
Drivers who finished near the top of the 2025 championship standings are facing eye-watering renewal costs. Both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen scored more than 420 points during the season, triggering licence fees that exceed £880,000 each.
For Norris, who enjoyed a standout campaign and emerged as one of the sport’s leading figures, the bill represents a sharp contrast between sporting achievement and financial consequence. Verstappen, a perennial front-runner, is once again hit hard by a system that has repeatedly seen champions pay the highest prices to defend their status.
The structure has long been criticised by some within the paddock, with detractors arguing that it discourages success and lacks a clear justification beyond revenue generation.
Rookie Antonelli Hit Hard After Breakthrough Season
Perhaps the most striking example of the system’s impact is Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes rookie has completed just one season in Formula 1, yet already faces a licence fee of more than £320,000 for 2026.
Antonelli scored 150 championship points in his debut campaign — a remarkable return for a first-year driver. That total is particularly notable given it is only six points fewer than the tally managed by the seven-time world champion he replaced at Mercedes.
Despite his limited time in the sport, Antonelli’s strong performances place him firmly among the higher-paying drivers on the grid, highlighting how quickly costs can escalate for emerging stars.
Hamilton’s Fee Lower Than Rivals, but Still Significant
After completing his first season with Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton finds himself facing a sizeable — though comparatively moderate — super licence fee. The Briton scored 156 points during the 2025 season, resulting in a renewal cost of roughly £330,000.
While that figure remains substantial, it is noticeably lower than the fees paid by championship contenders such as Norris and Verstappen. Hamilton’s total reflects a solid but not title-challenging campaign as he adapted to life at Ferrari.
Even so, the seven-time world champion’s payment underlines the scale of the system, with hundreds of thousands of pounds required regardless of experience or legacy.
Base Fee Only for Pointless Seasons
At the opposite end of the spectrum are drivers who failed to score any championship points in 2025. For them, the cost of competing in 2026 is limited to the base fee of £10,250.
Among those paying the minimum are Franco Colapinto, who went scoreless during his return to Formula 1 with Alpine, as well as experienced names Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad also falls into this category.
While the lower fee provides some relief, it also underlines the stark contrast within the grid, where licence costs can vary by nearly £900,000 depending solely on performance.
A System Under Continued Scrutiny
The FIA super licence fee structure remains one of the more unusual aspects of Formula 1’s financial landscape. As costs continue to rise for the sport’s top performers, debate persists over whether the system fairly reflects the realities of modern F1 — or simply punishes those who succeed the most.
With 2026 set to usher in sweeping technical and regulatory changes, the spotlight on driver costs is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
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