FIA Super Licence

Requirements

An applicant must hold an International Grade A competition licence as defined in FIA ISC Appendix L, Article 11. The minimum age is 18 at the start of their first F1 competition, though the FIA may issue it at age 17 in exceptional circumstances. First-time applicants must pass an FIA theory test on knowledge of F1 sporting codes and regulations. They must have completed at least 80% of each of two full seasons in any championship listed in Supplement 1 of the regulations, and accumulated at least 40 points over the previous three seasons from those championships.

Drivers who have previously held a super licence face different requirements: if they held a valid licence for any of the previous three seasons, they need only have completed 100 km in a free practice session in the last three years; if they have not held a valid licence within the previous three years, the FIA may grant an exemption based on recent and consistent demonstration of outstanding ability in single-seater formula cars. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the three-season window was amended to allow the three best-scoring seasons from a driver's previous four seasons to count, provided the window includes 2021.

If a driver accumulated at least 30 points but could not reach 40 due to circumstances outside their control, the licence could be granted at the FIA's discretion. As of June 2024, drivers are no longer required to hold a road-legal driving licence to apply. Points are awarded according to the applicable regulatory text of the year in which the final championship result was achieved.

Renewal, sanctions, and costs

New licences are issued with a 12-month probation period, during which the FIA may review and withdraw the licence if standards are not met. Licences are issued on an annual calendar year basis and must be renewed each year. In 2006, Yuji Ide had his licence revoked after a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix, as the FIA determined he lacked sufficient experience. Drivers accrue penalty points and reprimands for driving infractions; five reprimands in a season may lead to a grid penalty and penalty points.

Since 2014, accumulating 12 penalty points in a 12-month period results in a one-race ban, which has been enforced only once: Kevin Magnussen's ban for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. As of 2025, Oliver Bearman of Haas has the most active penalty points (10), two away from a ban. The FIA charges an annual fee; in 2009, the cost rose by an average of £8,700, with an extra charge of €2,100 per point earned in 2008 (up from €447 per point in 2007). Lewis Hamilton paid £242,000 for his licence in 2009.

FIA president Max Mosley wrote in February 2009 that drivers should race elsewhere if unable to pay, but after a meeting with the Grand Prix Drivers' Association on March 23, the FIA proposed revising fees for the 2010 championship.

Nationality of drivers

The nationality displayed on a racing licence matches the driver's passport, not necessarily the country issuing the licence. A French national living in Germany would receive a licence from German authorities but show French nationality; to display German, the driver must hold a German passport. Drivers with multiple citizenship choose their official nationality. Historically, the choice of nationality was up to the driver; for example, Jochen Rindt raced under the Austrian flag despite being born in Germany and lacking Austrian citizenship, as he held a licence from the Austrian National Sporting Authority.