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
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