Max Verstappen Unhappy About The “Absurd” Cost Of His FIA Super Licence
— Updated on 20 June 2023

Max Verstappen Unhappy About The “Absurd” Cost Of His FIA Super Licence

— Updated on 20 June 2023
Garry Lu
WORDS BY
Garry Lu

Heavy lies the head that wears the crown. And in the case of Red Bull Racing’s two-time world champion, Max Verstappen, “heavy” also describes his FIA Super Licence cost for 2023.

The standard fee for the mandatory permit every Formula 1 driver must retain in order to race is €10,400 ($16,175) plus another €2,100 ($3, 265) for every point scored in the previous season. Pretty reasonable… right?

Considering Verstappen secured his second world title last year with 15 race wins and a grand total of 454 championship points – the most ever scored in a single season; shattering Sir Lewis Hamilton’s previously historic tally of 413 – the once-in-a-generation Dutch motorsport talent now has to cough up a record €963,800 ($1.5 million).

“I think the amount is absurd. I don’t think it’s right that we have to pay so much,” said Max Verstappen (via Planet F1).

RELATED: Here’s What Every Formula 1 Driver Is Earning In 2023

Max Verstappen Unhappy About "Absurd" FIA Super Licence Cost
(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“That’s not the case in other sports either. And there are more and more races.”

You’d think a casual million would mean nothing to a professional athlete currently earning approximately $75 million AUD per season on the track alone (and will continue to do so right through to 2028). But given Max Verstappen himself won’t be the one to pay for his FIA Super Licence – his contract dictates Red Bull Racing is the one that foots the bill – I suppose it’s purely a matter of principle. Name another sport that financially penalises top-tier performance.

“I’m afraid we have to pay that, if I have our contract right in my head,” stated longtime Red Bull Racing team advisor and driver development program boss Helmut Marko.

Check out what every driver on the the grid owes for the privilege of being amongst motorsports’ elite in 2023.

FIA Super Licence Costs (2023 Season)

  1. Max Verstappen (454 points) – €963,800
  2. Charles Leclerc (308 points) – €657,200
  3. Sergio Perez (305 points) – €650,900
  4. George Russell (275 points) – €587,900
  5. Carlos Sainz (246 points) – €527,000
  6. Lewis Hamilton (240 points) – €514,400
  7. Lando Norris (122 points) – €266,600
  8. Esteban Ocon (92 points) – €203,600
  9. Fernando Alonso (81 points) – €180,500
  10. Valtteri Bottas (49 points) – €113,300
  11. Kevin Magnussen (25 points) – €62,900
  12. Pierre Gasly (23 points) €58,700
  13. Lance Stroll (18 points) – €48,200
  14. Yuki Tsunoda (12 points) – €35,600
  15. Zhou Guanyu (6 points) – €23,000
  16. Alex Albon (4 points) – €18,800
  17. Nyck de Vries (2 points) – €14,600
  18. Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant (0 points) – €10,400

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Garry Lu
WORDS by
After stretching his legs with companies such as The Motley Fool and the odd marketing agency, Garry joined Boss Hunting in 2019 as a fully-fledged Content Specialist. In 2021, he was promoted to News Editor. Garry proudly retains a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, black bruises from Muay Thai, as well as a black belt in all things pop culture. Drop him a line at [email protected]