Why Lando Norris Will Pay More Than Any Other F1 Driver For His FIA Super License

Lando Norris will pay the most of any driver for his FIA super license for the 2026 Formula 1 season, but why?

All drivers in F1 must have gained their super license by picking up enough merit points before entering the championship, allocated for performances in other racing categories.

But competitors must also pay the license fee each year to participate. The way this works is that each pays a flat fee of €11,842, plus €2,392 per point scored the season before.

Abu Dhabi race start 2025 — Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Therefore, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez - who sat on the sidelines last season, having been axed by Sauber and Red Bull at the end of 2024 - will pay only the flat fee, as will Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad.

Franco Colapinto's license will also cost just €11,842, as he failed to score for Alpine after taking over from Jack Doohan at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Lando Norris' massive license fee

But world champion Lando Norris will pay the most, having amassed 423 points, with the cost of his license coming in at €1,023,658.

Scoring just two points fewer, Red Bull's Max Verstappen is the only other driver whose super license will cost over €1 million at €1,018,874. Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri will pay €999,562, with fourth in last year's standings, George Russell, over €200,000 back on €774,890.

Drivers won't have to pay the costs themselves; however, the teams will instead pick up the bill. The license fees will not have an impact on the budget cap imposed by the FIA's financial regulations.

2026 👉 the LN1 era is here 🧡1️⃣#McLaren pic.twitter.com/xTbxc3EIII
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) January 4, 2026

Verstappen's license had been the most costly for four seasons before having picked up consecutive world championships. The last time the reigning world champion didn't hold the most expensive license was in 2017, after Nico Rosberg retired following his 2016 triumph.

2026 F1 FIA super license costs

Driver	2025 Points	License cost [€]
Lando Norris	423	€1,023,658
Max Verstappen	421	€1,018,874
Oscar Piastri	410	€999,562
George Russell	319	€774,890
Charles Leclerc	242	€590,706
Lewis Hamilton	156	€384,994
Kimi Antonelli	150	€370,642
Alex Albon	73	€184,458
Carlos Sainz	64	€164,930
Fernando Alonso	56	€145,794
Nico Hulkenberg	51	€133,834
Isack Hadjar	51	€133,834
Oliver Bearman	41	€109,014
Liam Lawson	38	€102,738
Esteban Ocon	38	€102,738
Lance Stroll	33	€90,778
Pierre Gasly	22	€64,466
Gabriel Bortoleto	19	€57,290
Franco Colapinto	0	€11,842
Valtteri Bottas	N/A	€11,842
Sergio Perez	N/A	€11,842
Arvid Lindblad	N/A	€11,842

The 2026 F1 season gets underway in March at the Australian Grand Prix with a new technical regulation set enforced, with cars set to look distinctly different to the previous ground-effect generation and new engines set to shake up the grid.

Three pre-season tests will kick off on-track action compared to the single tests in recent years, with the first run-out for teams coming at a behind-closed-doors test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.

Just one new track has been added to the calendar, with the Madring in Madrid becoming the second Spanish circuit on the 24-race schedule, which culminates at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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