While Formula 1 drivers are among the world's highest-paid athletes, a unique and costly rule from the sport's governing body significantly dents their earnings. The FIA's super licence fee system for the 2026 season means the most successful drivers on track face the heftiest financial penalties simply to compete the following year.
How the FIA's Pay-to-Play System Works
The financial mechanism is straightforward but impactful. Every competitor must pay a base fee of approximately £10,250 to renew their essential racing licence for the upcoming championship. However, the real cost comes from on-track performance. Drivers are then charged an additional £2,070 for every championship point they scored in the previous season.
This creates a direct correlation: the better a driver performs, the more expensive their right to race becomes. It's a system that uniquely taxes success, turning podium finishes and consistent points into a substantial pre-season financial outlay.
The Top Earners Face Top Fees
For the sport's leading talents, the bill for 2026 is astronomical. After stellar 2025 campaigns where each amassed over 420 points, both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are confronting super licence fees exceeding £880,000. For Norris in particular, this represents a massive leap in cost, directly attributable to his competitive success.
Rookies are not spared from significant costs either. Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes prodigy, must find over £320,000 for his second season. The Italian teenager scored an impressive 150 points in his debut year, a tally just six points shy of the legendary driver he replaced.
A Midsummer Bill for Hamilton and a Base Rate for Others
Following his debut season with Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton will pay a fee of roughly £330,000 for his 2026 licence, based on his 156-point haul. While still a formidable sum, it places him in a markedly different bracket to the championship front-runners.
At the other end of the scale, drivers who failed to score will pay only the minimum. Franco Colapinto of Alpine, along with returning veterans Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, and rookie Arvid Lindblad, will each pay just the base fee of £10,250. For them, a point-less season, while damaging for their careers, at least comes with a drastically reduced administrative cost.
The FIA's super licence system remains one of motorsport's more curious financial quirks, ensuring that even before a wheel is turned in anger, a driver's previous success has a very precise price tag.
