Towards an increase in the price of the Super License in 2013?
While teams will see their registration fees soar in 2013, drivers may also have to dig deeper into their pockets to obtain their Super License, while some, like Jenson Button, simply oppose the fact that the amount of said license is proportional to the driver's results.
In 2013, to participate in the Formula 1 World Championship, teams will have to pay registration fees proportional to their results in 2012. This system, aimed at making those who benefit the most from Formula 1 pay, is largely inspired by the principle used to calculate the amount due by drivers to obtain the precious Super License.
Thus, in 2007, drivers had to pay a base fee, equal for everyone, of €1,690 to which €447 was added for each point scored during the previous season. In 2008 and then in 2009, these amounts saw a significant increase, with Lewis Hamilton, for example, having to pay a considerable sum of €216,200 in 2009, which included a base fee of €10,400 plus €2,100 for each of the 98 points he scored in 2008. Naturally, the drivers protested, and on the eve of the introduction of the new points system in 2010, the FIA, then led by Max Mosley, agreed to lower these fees, although the details were not disclosed.
However, it seems that for 2013, the FIA is once again considering raising the amount of the Super License required for drivers to participate in the Formula 1 World Championship. Jean Todt is on a mission to fill the FIA’s coffers and it is believed he might try to raise 40 million euros, writes Kevin Eason, journalist for the Times, warning drivers that they can expect a massive increase in the amount of their Super License.
If these are indeed the intentions of the FIA, there is no doubt that it will incur the ire of drivers, some of whom are purely and simply opposed to the current system: « Personally, I don’t think we should pay different prices for the Super License based on the drivers and their points situation, » says Jenson Button. « When you get your driver’s license, you don’t pay based on the kilometers you drive, right? And in any other category, you don’t pay more because you have a better car, so it should be fixed. » And the Briton adds: « When I won the championship in 2009, it was the worst year to do it because that’s when the Super License reached crazy prices, and I think I spent more than a quarter of a million euros on my license that year. »
Not certain, however, that this potential increase in fees will discourage Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel from seeking a third world crown, even if, by comparison, it only costs a NASCAR driver $2,420 per year to participate in the Sprint Cup championship, whether it’s Jimmie Johnson or Cole Whitt, while in 2009, it only took $1,000 to participate in the IndyCar Series championship.
