Oscar Piastri Sees $486,300 Rise in His FIA Fee 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, or rather McLaren, will have to shell out a substantially higher amount to the FIA in 2025.

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 around $219,880. However, in 2024, his performance improved drastically. He finished fourth in the Drivers’ Championship with 292 points, winning two races.

Therefore, the fee to renew his super-license rose to $706,183 as per Kym Illman, an increase of around $486,300 [per the exchange rate at the time of writing]. Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris will pay a higher amount too. Norris’ mega 2024 season — which saw him challenge Max Verstappen for the title and finish P2 — has to pay $901,044, up from $453,399.

Another reason why all drivers are seeing a slight uptick in their super license fees is that the FIA has updated the base fee and the fee per point scored from last year. The base fee has increased from €10,400 to €11,453 (~$11,762), meanwhile, the base fee has increased from €2,100 to €2,313 (~$2375).

Drivers personally don’t have to foot the bill as the teams pay it on their behalf. And McLaren won’t be upset about it at all. While the combined fee for their drivers is close to a million dollars, it comes due to 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 the beginning rounds of 2023, the Woking-based outfit — with its then-new lineup of Piastri and Norris — struggled to get into the points even. That’s how slow they were.

But relentless work behind the scenes, and high-quality driving, took them up the ladder. A late charge in the 2023 season saw them finish P4 in the standings, 104 points behind Ferrari.

They carried over the form into 2024. 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 celebrated its first Constructors’ Championship win since 1998.

The team reportedly received $140 million as prize money for the crown. So, a small fraction of that going out as their drivers’ FIA fee won’t be a big deal. Heading into 2025, they remain the favorites to retain their status as the best outfit on the grid.