Lando Norris hit with huge FIA bill after winning first world title | F1 | Sport

McLaren marvel Lando Norris has learnt one harsh reality of winning the Formula 1 world championship, and it comes at a major cost. That’s after the British ace was forced to fork out close to £1million in order to renew his FIA Super Licence.

The accreditation is crucial in that F1 drivers need a Super Licence in order to be eligible to race in the competition. And it’s only at the end of the season that drivers discover how much theirs will cost for the following campaign. Each Super Licence fee for the 2026 season will be made up of a flat £10,342 (€11,842) figure, up from £10,000 for the 2025 campaign, according to Planet F1. That’s in addition to a per-point fee of £2,089 (€2,392), another small increase on the £2,020 charged this time last year.

This means drivers pay more for being successful, and Norris’ expenses have reached a new personal high following his maiden world title. The 26-year-old secured McLaren‘s first championship since 2008 after his third-place finish at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was enough to beat Red Bull rival Max Verstappen by just two points.

Ending the Dutchman’s reign of four consecutive F1 crowns will be worth almost any forfeit, though this one is particularly hefty. In total, Norris’ 2026 Super Licence fee will set him back £893,989, having crossed the line at Yas Marina circuit with 423 points to show for his efforts in 2025.

It’s easily the biggest licence fee of Norris’ career to date, though one he’ll happily stump up after setting a new best of seven race wins and finally getting his hands on F1 gold. And despite losing his title in the final laps of the season, Verstappen’s 2026 licence will be only marginally cheaper at a total cost of £889,811.

Norris’ McLaren team-mate, Oscar Piastri, finished third overall and only 13 points off the title pace himself after a thrilling three-way battle for the summit. That equates to a 2026 licence fee of £866,195, a dramatic rise of around £300,000 compared to the previous year.

With the trophy now in tow, Norris can actually thank Verstappen for making it a tighter battle following an enthralling end to the campaign. The Red Bull ace dominated the field in 2023 to accumulate a record 575 points, which meant he paid out a little more than £1million to renew his licence for 2024.

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Verstappen did confirm in 2023 that Red Bull would pay the amount of his 2024 licence fee. It’s unclear whether this is policy for all F1 manufacturers, however, meaning McLaren may not be as generous when it comes to covering Norris and Piastri.

While a greater licence fee automatically means a driver has performed well, the current system remains a point of contention for some – Verstappen included. The 28-year-old expressed some dissatisfaction with the format soon after his 2023 triumph.

“The team pays that, fortunately,” he told Viaplay at the time. “I do think there should be some normal ratio in that – but you know, things like that get written down, and I don’t think anybody expected that there would end up being that many points scored.

“I don’t think it’s right that we have to pay so much. It’s not the case in other sports either. And there are more and more races.”