Let’s go back nine years. It’s 2014 and Max Verstappen is competing in Formula 3 for Van Amersfoort Racing. As a 16-year-old. That season, he secured a record 6 consecutive wins (remind you of a certain season?), and a record 10 victories (again, ring any bells?) over the season. Overall, he finished third, but he impressed Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko so much that he compared the Dutchman to Ayrton Senna. Marko couldn’t just let that talent go to waste, so what did he do? Snatched him up and gave him a seat in Formula 1 for 2015. As a 17-year-old. How remarkable is that?

He became the youngest driver to ever race in F1. He didn’t even have a driver’s license back then! That was only the first of many records he’s set in subsequent years. Honestly, how many drivers can say that the FIA changed a rule because of them? Because it did courtesy of Verstappen. Following his F1 arrival, the FIA imposed a minimum age limit of 18 to compete in F1 since 2016. That’s one of the many requirements for a Super License. But what exactly is a Super License?

A Super License and the cost of renewing it

Introduced in the 1990s, a Super License is like a golden ticket for a driver to enter F1. They may have the skill and the talent, but unless they have a Super License, they can’t compete in the pinnacle of motorsport. It’s to prevent people without adequate skill from competing in F1—a situation that can be extremely dangerous if allowed to happen. 

Per Autosport, these are the requirements for the FIA to award a driver a Super License: 

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• Be a minimum of 18 years of age when they compete in their first F1 race
• Have a valid driving license
• Have an International Grade A competition license
• Pass the test on F1 Sporting Code and Regulations
• Complete at least 80% of two full seasons in a single-seater competition
• Secure a minimum of 40 points over the three years preceding a Super License application in an FIA-recognized series
• Complete 300km over two days in a representative F1 car in an official F1 session or an FIA-approved test

Per FIA regulations, every driver has to pay a few following every season to renew their license for the next. The fee has a standard base amount plus a set figure for every championship point a driver scores. (The same applies to constructors as well.) The base fee is €10,400 (~$11,000) and for every point drivers score, they pay an additional €2,100 (~$2245). What this means is that, the more points a driver scores, the costlier their Super License for the following season gets. 

From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen: Drivers who have paid the highest to renew their Super License

Considering the base fee is the same for everyone, it’s the Drivers’ Championship that decides how much a driver will lose before the start of a season. Wondering which drivers have owned the most to the FIA? Let’s start with Sebastian Vettel and his 2013 season. Driving for Red Bull, that was one of the most dominant years F1 has ever seen. The German won his fourth-consecutive championship that season by a margin of 155 points. He scored a total of 397 points, winning 13 races, 9 of which came on the bounce. Taking present fee figures, Vettel must’ve had to pay €844,100 (~$902,000).

Next comes one of Vettel’s best friends, Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time champion—as that stat suggests—has had quite a few memorable seasons in F1. The season that broke Vettel’s 2013 points tally, though, was 2018. Hamilton was going up against Vettel himself, and in the end, he came out victorious. The Brit won 11 of 21 races that season, amassing a total tally of 408. The Super License renewal for that would’ve amounted to €867,200 (~$927,000). 

Hamilton broke his own record a year later. Finishing in the points in all races, he won 11 of 21 races yet again. With a total of 413 points, he would’ve paid the FIA €877,700 (~$938,000). Breaking Hamilton’s record is a driver who hasn’t stopped breaking records in 2023. Max Verstappen in 2022. The RB18 and Verstappen were a formidable duo. After starting the season slowly, Verstappen clocked in a record 15 race wins in 22 races. With that, his points total came to a staggering 454 points. His renewal fee? An equally staggering €963,800 (~$1,030,000).

How Does the Super License System Dictate the Fate of F1 Drivers?

If the 2022 season cost Verstappen over a million dollars, can you imagine how much this record-breaking 2023 season will?

Will Max Verstappen’s 2024 Super License renewal be the highest ever in F1 history?

Yes, Max Verstappen’s 2024 Super License renewal will be the highest in F1 history. This season has been the stuff of dreams for Verstappen and Red Bull. If 2022 proved a formidable pairing, 2023 has been near-invincible. The RB19 is an absolute beast, and with Verstappen in it, barely anyone has come close to stopping him. Following the Brazilian GP (the 20th race of the season), he achieved a record 17th race victory in 2023. In those 17 races, 10 of them came consecutively—from Miami to Monza. 

Having won 17 of 20 races, his win percentage is at 85%. Even if he doesn’t win any of the two remaining races (which is unlikely), his percentage would be a record 77.2%. He’s broken a 71-year-old record in the process, one set by Alberto Ascari (75%) in 1952. If Verstappen has any intention of saving his money, he would happily not score another point, considering he’s already at a tally of 524. That adds up to a renewal fee of €1,110,800 (~$1,187,000). But he’s Verstappen, and winning is what he does. At least in 2023.

If he wins both races and gets the fastest laps, his tally could go up to 576. That would beat his 2022 record by a whopping 122 points. Then, his fee would become a whopping €1,220,000 (~$1,300,000). Can you imagine?

WATCH THIS STORY | Will Max Verstappen Retire Early from F1?

What is your take on the FIA’s Super License renewal system? Is it too extreme?