What is an FIA superlicence, how do you get one and why do you need it?

What is a superlicence?

A superlicence is the licence needed by any driver who wants to compete in Formula 1. It’s the highest type of licence available, and is awarded by Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA.

How do you get a superlicence and what are the requirements?

Any driver hoping to attain a superlicence must:

• Be at least 18 years old when they would compete in their first F1 race
• Already hold an International Grade A competition licence
• Hold 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 any of the series listed in the table below
• 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 to the above criteria there is also a fee for the superlicence, with Jenson Button suggesting in 2012 that his title-winning season made his licence fee “about a million euros” for the year.

Drivers who have already held a valid superlicence in any of the previous three seasons are also eligible for a new one – hence how drivers like Fernando Alonso were able to return to F1 despite missing seasons.

While the superlicence was first introduced in the 1990s, the rule governing age was added after Max Verstappen made his debut in 2015. Aged just 17 years and 166 days old at the time of his debut, the FIA added the rule to prevent inexperienced and potentially unsafe drivers from joining the grid.

Although he went on to become world champion six years later, his record as the youngest F1 driver can never be broken under the current rules.

How do you get superlicence points?

While drivers need to accrue at least 40 superlicence points in three years, as well as competing in at least 80% of two single-seater seasons, there are a multitude of ways that a driver can build up points. The points system devised by the FIA assigns points based on both finishing position and series, with both Formula 2 being the most points-paying.

How are the superlicence points distributed?

The points for the most common routes to Formula 1 are: