Verstappen Becomes First-Ever Driver To Pay More Than €1 Million For His Super License

Max Verstappen is having one of the most successful seasons in the history of F1, and he's going to pay for it, literally.

They say that success comes at a certain price, and when it comes to the Dutch driver, it's quite literate. Verstappen is on course to achieve the most dominant season ever, and he keeps getting closer to it every race.

Only recently, the Flying Dutchman got his 50th victory, joining the legendary company of only a few drivers that achieved a similar feat, and now he's already targeting his 52nd at the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The Dutch driver won the qualifying, and that may cost him extra money in the future. It's all about the FIA's Super License, which F1 drivers need to renew periodically in order to be able to compete in Formula One.

As of this season, the cost for the Super License is 10,400€, which is not that much, considering that drivers have contracts in millions. However, there's an interesting twist to it.

The more successful season a driver has, the more they have to pay. Specifically, drivers are charged 2,100€ for every point that they earn over a Formula One season, meaning that while some stay at the base 10,400€, some have to pay in hundreds of thousands.

That's the case for Verstappen, and he will be actually the first-ever driver to pay more than a million for his super license. As of the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, the three-time World Champion accumulated 491 points, resulting in 1,031,100€ that he has to pay on top of the base fee of 10,400€.

That means that even if the Dutch driver didn't earn any more points in 2023, he would have to pay 1,041,500 for his FIA Super License, with the fee possibly climbing up to 1,220,000€ if he collects all of the remaining points.