F1 Super Licence: what it is, the types and how drivers get one

What is a Super Licence?

A Super Licence is a licence issued by the FIA, and you can’t race in Formula 1 without one. Under Section A of the 2026 regulations, a championship driver needs two licences at once: a valid Super Licence and an International Licence. The requirements for issuing it are in Article 13 of Appendix L to the International Sporting Code; everything below follows the edition of 23 June 2026.

The Super Licence is a step above the FIA International Grade A licence: you can’t get one without Grade A. The FIA requires Grade A for cars with no more than 1 kg of weight per horsepower: single-seaters, prototypes and the like. Under Appendix L 2026, a Grade A licence requires an age of at least 17, a Grade B licence, six events in Grade C championships and 14 points. The driver must also have completed at least 80% of each of two full seasons.

What types of Super Licence are there?

Drivers aren’t the only ones who need a Super Licence. Under Section A of the 2026 regulations, four groups in the championship must hold one:

The FIA appoints the stewards, the Race Director and the permanent starter for each event from among holders of its Super Licence.

Formula E has its own licence, the FIA e-Licence, with its own requirements; it is covered by Article 14 of the same Appendix L.

Full Super Licence requirements

To get a Super Licence for racing under the 2026 rules, a driver must:

1. Hold a valid FIA International Grade A licence.
2. Be at least 18 at the start of the event of their first race. At the FIA’s discretion, a Super Licence can also be granted at 17 to a driver who has recently and consistently shown outstanding ability and maturity in single-seaters.
3. On a first application, answer questions on the key points of the International Sporting Code and the F1 Sporting Regulations. After that, the team confirms that it has briefed the driver on them.
4. On a first application, have completed at least 80% of each of two full seasons in single-seater championships from the FIA list.
5. Meet at least one of four further requirements, set out below.

The first of them is points. For a 2026 application the FIA takes the higher of two totals: for 2023–2025 or for 2024–2026. The other three routes are for drivers who have already been in Formula 1 or were held back by circumstances:

The last three routes also require a test: at least 300 km at racing speed in an F1 car, over no more than two days and no earlier than 180 days before applying. How many points the different series give and how they are counted is in the FIA table in the article on becoming an F1 driver.

The exception for 17-year-olds has already been used: in June 2025 the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved a Super Licence for Arvid Lindblad before his 18th birthday. How this relates to the age of F1 debutants is explained in the article on becoming an F1 driver.

The Free Practice Only Super Licence

This is a lighter licence for Friday practice. In the first and second practice sessions a team can put another driver in the car, and that driver needs a Super Licence, either a full one or a Free Practice Only one. At two events of the season, each team must hand each of its cars to a newcomer in practice: a driver with no more than two World Championship races in their career. How drivers get these outings is explained in the article on becoming an F1 driver.

The requirements under Appendix L 2026:

• a Grade A licence and the same age limit: 18, or 17 at the FIA’s discretion;
• for a first application, six FIA Formula 2 events or 25 Super Licence points under the 2026 rules, plus answers to questions on the rules;
• for later applications, a full season of FIA Formula 2 or the same 25 points under the 2026 rules;
• the FIA must judge that the driver consistently shows outstanding ability in single-seaters;
• the team must show that the driver has covered at least 300 km at racing speed in an F1 car, over no more than two days and no earlier than 180 days before applying;
• the first 12 months are a probation period.

Practice also helps towards the full Super Licence. For each F1 event where a Free Practice Only licence holder covers at least 100 km in practice without getting penalty points, they get one Super Licence point. No more than ten such points count towards an application.

Applying and how long it lasts

The application must reach the FIA at least 14 days before scrutineering for the first event the driver is to take part in. If a driver is replaced because of force majeure, the FIA can accept an application up to 48 hours before scrutineering begins.

On a first application, the national sporting authority that issued the driver’s licence sends the FIA a recommendation, the driver’s results and their Grade A licence number. The driver fills in the application form, and the FIA charges an annual fee for the Super Licence; Appendix L doesn’t give the amount.

A Super Licence is valid until the end of the year in which it was issued, so drivers apply every season. For the first 12 months after their first Formula 1 race, a newcomer is on probation: their Super Licence is held provisionally and can be reviewed at any time.

Penalty points

The stewards can put penalty points on a driver’s Super Licence with any penalty except a reprimand or a fine. A driver who reaches 12 points in 12 months misses the next event, after which 12 points are taken off their Super Licence. Each point expires 12 months after it was imposed.

What the points are given for, how many, and how Kevin Magnussen reached a ban in 2024 is explained in the penalties article.

Where did Super Licence points come from?

The FIA brought in the points system on 3 December 2014, when the World Motor Sport Council approved new Super Licence requirements from 2016. The FIA listed the changes compared with the old rules: a valid driving licence, a minimum age of 18 and a test on the rules. The others were 300 km in an F1 car, two years in junior formulae and points for results there. The driving licence is no longer among the 2026 requirements. The rules have changed since then: in 2025, for example, the World Council added two Super Licence points for the winner of the FIA Formula 4 World Cup.