FIA Super Licence

To qualify for an FIA Racing Super Licence an applicant must meet the requirements of the FIA's International Sporting Code, Appendix L, Article 5.[1] As of 2019, the article states:

1. A minimum age of 18 at the start of their first F1 competition
2. An existing holder of an International Grade A competition licence
3. A holder of a full and valid road car driving licence for the country listed as the driver's nationality which has not been suspended, withdrawn, revoked, or in any other way prevents the holder from driving a motor car on public roads.
4. Passing of an FIA theory test on knowledge of the F1 sporting codes and regulations.
5. Completed at least 80% of each of two full seasons of any of the single-seater Championships reported in Supplement 1 of the regulations
6. Accumulated at least 40 points over the previous three seasons in any combination of the championships reported in Supplement 1 of the regulations

Provided a driver has previously held a super licence they do not have to meet these requirements, a driver who has held a valid super licence for any of the previous three seasons is eligible for a new licence, if the driver has previously held a super licence but has not held a valid licence within the previous three years issue is subject to completion of 300 km at race speeds in representative F1 car over no more than two days, either as part of a test certified by a national racing authority or as part of an official F1 session. This must be completed no more than 180 days before their application.[1]

In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last point was amended where if the three-season window includes the year 2020, then the highest scoring three seasons out of the four previous seasons are to be counted. If a driver has accumulated at least 30 points and is currently competing in any of the Championships reported in Supplement 1 and has been unable to accumulate the 40 points due to "circumstances outside their control or reasons of force majeure", the license may be granted at the discretion of the FIA.[2][3]

As of 2020, the Supplement 1 Super Licence points, which also qualify for the 80% rule, are awarded according to the following table:

^1 Subject to 'road course' rounds being held on FIA-homologated circuits (See List of motor racing circuits by FIA Grade for a full list). ^2 Excluding LMP3 cars. ^3 A driver can accumulate a maximum of 12 points in FIA karting Championships. Points from karting are valid for five years.

In 2019, for a series to award Super Licence points, a championship season must consist of at least five events spanning at least three different circuits, with alternative circuit configurations considered to be separate circuits. Additionally, a series must have at least 12 drivers compete at any event and a minimum of 16 drivers compete across a season to meet the criteria for full points – a series with 12 or more drivers per event and between 12 and 15 over the course of a season will award 75% points, and a series with entry lists of 11 competitors or lower will not be eligible for points. A driver can earn points from either 1 or 2 series in a calendar year. Championships, such as the 2019 F3 Asian Winter Series, may be set aside points but cannot award them if the championship season does not meet this criteria.[5]

For any season ending in 2020 the criteria have decreased from racing five events to three, from three tracks to two and from 16 drivers on the first race to 10.

Drivers may also earn points for:

1. 1 point – Driving at least 100km during a Free Practice session for up to 10 points.
2. 2 points – Completing an FIA Championship with a penalty points system without receiving any penalty points.
3. 5 points – Winning the Macau Grand Prix

If multiple drivers complete a season competing in the same car they will be awarded a fraction of their points according to their FIA Driver Categorisation:

1. Platinum and Gold ranked drivers – 100% of the points received.
2. Silver ranked drivers – 75% of the points received.
3. Bronze ranked drivers – 50% of the points received.
4. Drivers without a categorisation will be awarded no points.

Beginning in the 2019 Formula One season the FIA introduced a requirement for drivers participating in free practice sessions to hold a stand-alone Free Practice Only Super Licence with the holding of a standard Super licence not automatically granting a Free Practice Only Super licence. The criteria are as follows:

1. A minimum age of 18
2. An existing holder of an International Grade A competition licence
3. Completion of either six races in Formula 2, or accumulated 25 Super Licence points in eligible championships during the previous three years.

The FIA issue licences subject to a 12-month probation period after first issue which applies to full and free practice licence. At any time during the first 12 months the FIA may review and withdraw a super licence if the standards to continue holding a licence are not being met.

Super Licences are issued on an annual calendar year basis and must be renewed at the end of each year.[1]

The FIA have a series of sanctions which can be placed on a driver's Super Licence which are in the form of reprimands and penalty points. If a driver accumulated three reprimands over the course of a season the FIA may impose penalty points. If a driver accumulates 12 or more penalty points in a 12-month period they will receive a one race ban for the next event they are scheduled to participate in. The issuing of penalty points is not subject to reprimands being issued as a pre-requisite.[1]

The FIA charges the licence holder an annual fee. According to a report on the BBC, the cost of a super licence rose by an average £8,700 in 2009, and there was an extra charge of €2,100 per point earned in 2008—up from €447 per point in 2007.[6] In 2009, Lewis Hamilton would pay £242,000 for his licence for the season.

Reducing the cost of the super licence represented a significant policy shift for FIA's then-president Max Mosley, who wrote to Formula 1 drivers in February 2009 suggesting that they "race elsewhere if they were unable to pay for their super licences."[7] After Mosley met with representatives from the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) on March 23, 2009, the FIA issued a statement: "Following a very positive meeting between FIA President Max Mosley and representatives of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), a proposal will be made to the World Motor Sport Council to revise super licence fees for drivers in the 2010 championship".[8]

In November 2012, however, FIA announced it would again increase the cost of the super licence.[9] According to McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, the proposed increase would lead to a basic fee of €10,000 ($12,800) for the super licence plus €1,000 ($1,280) for each world championship point.[10] 2009 Formula 1 World Driver's Champion Jenson Button objected, and expressed his position that all current F1 drivers should pay the same flat fee for their super licences:

Personally I don't feel that we should be paying different super licence fees for different drivers and different point situations. I mean, when you get your licence to drive on the road, because you do more miles you don't pay more for it, do you? And you don't pay more for a licence in any other category because you've got a better car or whatever, so it should be a flat fee.

— Jenson Button, [11]

Button's total super licensing costs for the 2010 season, based on his 2009 results, were variously reported as over a quarter of a million Euros by one source[12] and approximately €1M ($1.28M) by others.[13][14]