Kym Illman Reveals Some F1 Teams May Pay Their Drivers $8,000 for Accommodation at One GP

F1 drivers are famous for their lavish lifestyles off the track. As such, when they travel for races, they want to continue living in luxury, and teams pay exorbitant amounts for their accommodation. However, when they are living in their own homes during a race weekend, things are a bit different.

F1 photojournalist Kym Illman reveals the small logistical hiccup for teams when their stars visit Monaco for the Grand Prix. On his YouTube channel, he said-

“Most of the drivers stay at their own homes in Monaco. So, it would be interesting to know if any of the drivers charge the team for accommodation even if they are staying in their own homes because technically they could say we want a hotel in the city“.

Illman then said that the drivers who prefer accommodation from the teams, choose the Columbus Hotel. He also revealed that former F1 driver David Coulthard is part-owner of the hotel.

Columbus Hotel charges its customers approximately $2000 per night during the race weekends. If drivers stay there for three nights (the duration of a Grand Prix weekend), the total bill for the same would be $8000.

Teams whose drivers bunk at their own homes can save up on that amount, unless the drivers take the accommodation money for themselves, regardless.

How much do F1 teams pay for drivers’ accommodation in 2024?

In the same video, Kym Illman revealed that F1 teams pay approximately $160,000 on just drivers’ accomodation throughout the entire season.

After the first six races so far this campaign, the bill has already reached $36,450 and after the Imola weekend, the number will go up to $41,250.

In Imola, most of the drivers stay at the Varignana Palace Resort and Spa. It is a four-star hotel with a rating of 4.7. Per night, customers are expected to pay $250 (on average) for most of the year, but during the F1 race weekends, this price increases fourfold.

Teams usually end up paying $1000-$1200 (per driver) per night to the resort. However, this price is much cheaper compared to some of the rates hotels offer in other F1-visited cities on the calendar.

Illman also revealed that in 2024, teams will have to cough up the most amount of money for accommodating drivers in Mexico City. The F1 stars usually prefer staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, where a night’s stay can amount up to $14,000.