What is an FIA superlicence and how do F1 drivers earn one?

The FIA superlicence has been a controversial topic over recent years with the subject creating headlines for various reasons.

For example, it was revealed that Max Verstappen had been charged €1,217,900 for his 2024 superlicence - the most of any driver - after winning the 2023 F1 title.

That is the same driver who caused the FIA to change its superlicence minimum age rule, as Verstappen made his F1 debut at the age of only 17. 

Said rule was in the limelight once again recently, due to 17-year-old hotshot Andrea Kimi Antonelli being lined up for potential testing opportunities with Mercedes ahead of a possible move in 2025.

There was also the conversation over how little the FIA values IndyCar for a superlicence, as Colton Herta failed to get one despite being a race winner in the series. 

So, what exactly is a superlicence and how do drivers obtain one?  

What is an FIA superlicence?

A superlicence is a qualification provided by the FIA, which determines if a racing driver is eligible to compete in F1.

Superlicences were introduced during the early 1990s to stop lesser skilled drivers from entering F1, as some may have reached the pinnacle of motorsport due to their financial backing. 

In order to qualify for a superlicence, a driver must perform well in various championships across several years so it encourages them to build their way through the ranks before reaching F1. 

But once a driver has earned a superlicence, it costs money to renew each year and the better one does, the more expensive it is.

For example, it is believed that a superlicence costs a base fee of €10,400 with an additional charge of €2,100 for every point scored in the season that had just passed.

Considering Verstappen won the 2023 F1 world drivers' championship with 575 points, his licence fee for 2024 was €1,217,900 - though, that fee was paid by the team and not himself.

Regardless, Verstappen still dislikes the rule as he said: “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.” 

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez had the second most expensive superlicence at €608,900, with Lewis Hamilton in third at €501,800 for 2024. 

How do F1 drivers get an FIA superlicence? 

To qualify for an FIA superlicence, a driver must accrue at least 40 licence points over a three-year period in the lower racing categories - 25 points for winning the Formula Regional European Championship, 30 for the F3 title and 40 for the F2 crown, for example. 

A driver must also be at least 18-years-old to qualify for a superlicence, though as of 2024 special dispensation may be given to those who are younger.

Article 13.1.2 of Appendix L of the FIA International Sporting Code reads: "At the sole discretion of the FIA, a driver judged to have recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition may be granted a Super Licence at the age of 17 years old."

This rule was enforced because of Mercedes junior Antonelli, who had accumulated enough points before even competing in the 2024 F2 season - the Italian also skipped F3 to reach F2.

And because Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, the Silver Arrows is wanting to prepare Antonelli for a potential promotion into F1 next year. It can do this by running him in an FP1 session, but under the previous rule Mercedes would have had to wait until Antonelli turned 18 on the 25 August 2024 to do so - now, that is no longer the case. 

The minimum age requirement was first introduced in 2016 after Verstappen made his F1 session debut in FP1 at the 2014 Japanese GP, aged just 17 years and three days old before joining the grid full-time the following season. 

Verstappen also joined F1 with just one year of single-seater racing under his belt - third in the 2014 F3 championship - prompting the FIA to enforce a rule stating that drivers must have spent at least two years in junior formula racing, alongside being aged 18 or older for a superlicence.

This was done to prevent inexperienced and potentially unsafe drivers from joining the grid - even though Verstappen later became an F1 world champion. 

There are several other stipulations for an FIA superlicence, such as: 

• A driver must already hold an International Grade A competition licence
• Have a valid driving licence
• Pass an FIA theory test on the F1 sporting codes and regulations
• Complete at least 80% of two full seasons in a single-seater championship
• Accumulate at least 40 points over three years in selected championships
• Be at least 18-years-old, but an exemption may be given to a driver aged 17
• Complete 300km in a representative F1 car over no more than two days, either as part of an official F1 session or in a test certified national racing authority.

In addition, drivers who have already held a valid superlicence in any of the previous three seasons are also eligible for a new one – hence how Fernando Alonso could return to F1 despite missing a couple of campaigns.

There is also such thing as a free practice-only superlicence.

A free practice-only superlicence was introduced in 2019 enabling teams to use academy drivers in F1 practice sessions – helping both teams to evaluate drivers and drivers to get their required 300km testing. Drivers can gain this licence by accumulating just 25 points over the previous three years, or need to have taken part in at least six F2 races.

Verstappen's rapid ascent would not be allowed under current superlicence rules

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

How are the FIA superlicence points distributed?

The superlicence points system devised by the FIA assigns points based on both finishing position and series, with F2 and IndyCar being the most valuable.

Why do F1 drivers need an FIA superlicence?

The superlicence prevents those without the skill to drive an F1 car from getting onto the grid.

A superlicence can also be revoked if a driver is involved in too many incidents and this happened to Super Aguri's Yuji Ide during his rookie season in 2006.

The then-31-year-old, who was partly signed due to Super Aguri's desire to have an all-Japanese line-up, started just four races that season. It began with the opening round in Bahrain, where Ide qualified 2.859s behind team-mate Takuma Sato before retiring from the grand prix with an engine failure. 

Ide was again slowest in qualifying at the following round, this time by 1.709s in Malaysia, before retiring from the race with a throttle problem.

At the season's third round in Australia, Ide was slowest in qualifying by 2.885s while being blamed for blocking Honda's Rubens Barrichello, who was eliminated in Q1. Ide then came last of the finishers in the grand prix and was three laps behind race winner Alonso, as part of a mistake-filled weekend that featured several spins.

Ide then drove his final grand prix at the next round in Imola, where he caused a first lap crash by going into the back of Christijan Albers causing the Midland-Toyota to barrel roll into the gravel. Just over two weeks later, Ide had his superlicence revoked which prevented him from ever competing in F1 again. 

Ide's superlicence was stripped from him after an incident-packed start to 2006 with Super Aguri

Photo by: Mark Capilitan

Although that is an extreme case, accidents do happen as drivers can also accrue penalty points on their licence for things like collisions and unsafe driving, with each point lasting 12 months.

An F1 driver will then receive a one-race ban should they receive 12 or more penalty points on their superlicence during that 12-month period. As of today, no F1 driver has been banned for too many penalty points on their superlicence. 

Has a driver reached F1 without enough FIA superlicence points?

To date, no driver has been given an exemption from the FIA superlicence points rules in their current state.

Herta was the last driver who attempted to get one, as Red Bull hoped to place the IndyCar star at its sister team AlphaTauri for the 2023 F1 season. That was despite the then-22-year-old having just 32 points on his superlicence for finishing seventh, third and fifth in the last three IndyCar seasons, while not being in contention for the 2022 crown. 

Red Bull still attempted to gain an exemption for Herta, but that was rebuffed and the American has not received another potential opportunity to move to F1. 

Race Winner Colton Herta, Harding Racing

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images