We'll call this a rumor for now, but there is some rumbling that the current roster of Formula 1 drivers is so fed up with the rise in FIA Superlicense fees that they may go on strike as early as the British GP at Silverstone next month. F1Fanatic is reminding us too that this wouldn't be the first such strike. Drivers refused to race way back in 1982 over similar issues. It's actually a pretty funny story and well worth a click to read.
This current mess all stems from the World Motorsport Council's recent decision to hike fees for that license-to-thrill-at-will that is the FIA Superlicense. True, F1 drivers earn a ridiculous amount of money, but it's the principle of the matter.
As we recently explained, the standard fee for a Superlicense was just €1,690 for a newcomer, with an additional €447 for each championship point scored in the previous season when you returned the following year. The new fee structure now starts at a staggering €10,000 base fee, plus €2,000 per championship point. Kimi Raikkonen, for instance, fresh off his drivers championship last year, will have to pay €230,000, an unbelievable €199,255 more than last year. So it's not surprising these drivers might be upset. Break out the posterboard, sticks and markers lads. Or, you know, take it to court in the off-season so fans don't get really, really sore with you.
Never mind all the adrenaline, the horsepower and the glory. The coolest part of being an F1 driver could very well be the Superlicense. That's the prerequisite certification that any F1 driver needs to get from the FIA before driving in Formula One. Now, however, the World Motorsport Council has decided to raise the fees, and not by a little, either.
Until now, the standard fee for a Superlicense was €1,690 for a newcomer – a sizeable chunk of money compared to the standard fee that you and I pay down at the DMV, but not entirely unreasonable in relation to all the money being spent in F1 altogether. On top of the base fee is an additional €447 for each championship point scored in the previous season by a returning driver. The new fee structure, however, has gone up exponentially: €10,000 base fee, plus €2,000 per championship point. That means that for Kimi Raikkonen to get recertified after having won the championship last year, he'll have to pay €230,000 (over $336k) – that's a staggering €199,255 more than last year. Gulp.
Sure, that's no big deal for a driver pulling in millions each year, and the teams will likely pick up the fee for their drivers. But it does seem to run counter to the cost-cutting measures that the FIA itself has been putting in place.
