Oscar Piastri Sees $487,500 Rise in His Fee to FIA to Compete in F1

Getting to F1 takes a ton of money, but even when one makes it to the top, the spending doesn’t stop. The FIA’s super-license system requires drivers to pay a flat fee plus an extra charge for points they earn during the season. For Oscar Piastri, this rule means he’ll be taking a pretty big hit in 2025 with how much he has to shell out.

In 2023, Piastri finished P9 in the standings, which meant that to be a part of the 2024 grid, the Melbourne-born driver had to pay $220,169. However, in 2024, Piastri’s performances improved drastically as he finished fourth in the Drivers’ Championship with 292 points, even winning two races.

Therefore, his fee to renew his super-license rose to $706,183 (per Kym Illman), marking a $487,500 increase. Thankfully, Piastri won’t be alone in making this huge payment, as even his teammate Lando Norris‘s mega 2024 season—which saw him challenge Max Verstappen for the title and finish P2—will take his amount up to $901,044, up from $453,399.

Although the increase in Norris’ super license fee is not as big as Piastri’s, it’s still pretty significant. Drivers personally don’t have to worry much about this, as the teams cover the bill on their behalf.

McLaren, however, won’t be too upset. While the combined total for their drivers is close to a million dollars, a hefty fee, it’s a cost that comes as a result of their on-track success.

McLaren’s ascent to the summit

The turnaround demonstrated by McLaren over the last two seasons has been nothing short of astounding. In just the beginning rounds of 2023, the Woking-based outfit—with its then-new lineup of Piastri and Norris—was struggling to even get into the points. That’s how slow they were.

But relentless work behind-the-scenes coupled with the high standard of driving took McLaren up the ladder. In 2023, a late charge in the season saw them finish P4 in the standings, 104 points behind Ferrari.

They carried over their form into 2024 and by midseason, they began establishing themselves as F1’s fastest team, trumping Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull. And while Norris lost out on personal glory, finishing second-best to Verstappen, the papaya squad rejoiced after the season finale as they celebrated their first Constructors’ Championship win since 1998.

Per reports, the team got $140 million as prize money for the crown. So, a small fraction of that going into making sure they can go at it again simply won’t be a big deal. Heading into 2025, they remain the favorites to retain their status as the best.