How F1 Super Licence Points Work
The FIA’s 40-point requirement, 2026 championship awards, counting windows and practice bonuses—plus how eligibility points differ from penalty points.
A new Formula 1 driver normally needs at least 40 FIA Super Licence points, earned through eligible championship results and permitted bonuses. Those points satisfy one part of the qualification rules; reaching 40 does not, by itself, secure a licence or an F1 seat. The governing rules are in FIA Appendix L, Chapter I, Article 13.
These are eligibility points, not the penalty points stewards impose for infringements. For the disciplinary system, see our separate explanation of F1 yellow-flag penalty points.
The figures below use the 2026 Appendix L published on 23 June 2026, current as checked on 7 October 2026.
How many points does each championship award?
Super Licence points are based on a driver’s final championship position, not their raw race-points total. Finishing third in Formula 2 earns 40 Super Licence points; finishing third in FIA Formula 3 earns 20.
This selection covers prominent routes. Numbers are the base awards before eligibility reductions or bonuses. Source: Appendix L, Supplement 1, pages 64–66.
| Championship or category, 2026 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIA Formula 2 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| IndyCar | 40 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| FIA Formula 3 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Formula E | 30 | 25 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Japanese Super Formula | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| FIA Formula Regional European Championship | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Listed national FIA-certified Formula 4 championships | 12 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F1 Academy | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Formula Regional Middle East / Oceania trophies | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
With full base awards, an F2 top-three finish or an IndyCar title supplies the standard 40-point requirement in one championship. An FIA F3 title supplies 30, leaving 10 to find elsewhere.
Do not apply the national F4 row to every competition carrying an F4 name. The 2026 table separately lists the Middle East F4 Trophy at 4–3–2–1. The FIA introduced championship/trophy distinctions for shorter Formula 4 and Formula Regional series from 1 January 2026.
Which years count toward 40?
The FIA takes the higher total from two windows:
- The three calendar years immediately before the application year.
- The two calendar years immediately before the application year, plus the application year itself.
For an application in 2026, that means comparing 2023–2025 with 2024–2026. It is not simply a rolling 36-month calculation. Older results must use the award table applicable when that championship’s final result was achieved—not be recalculated using today’s table. Article 13.1.5(a) and Supplement 1 notes.
For example, an eligible FIA F3 third place worth 20, followed by an eligible F2 fifth place worth 20, gives 40 points, provided both results fall within a permitted window. Neither result needs to be a championship win.
Results from at most two championships in one calendar year can be combined, and the second championship must start after the first ends. Two overlapping campaigns cannot simply be added together. FIA karting points have a separate five-year validity period and a maximum accumulated contribution of 12. Supplement 1.
Bonuses and reductions that change the total
A Free Practice Only Super Licence holder can earn one additional point per F1 event by successfully completing at least 100 km during a free-practice session, with no penalty points imposed. A maximum of 10 such points can count toward an application; that is not a fresh allowance of 10 every year. These points are added independently of the calendar year in which the session took place. Practice bonus, Supplement 1.
Drivers who complete an entire FIA championship operating a penalty-points system without receiving any penalty points are awarded two additional points. Supplement 1 also provides FIA World Cup winner bonuses: three for Formula Regional and two for Formula 4. These bonuses are added to sporting results in the same calendar year. Bonus rules, page 63.
The base table is not an unconditional award. Championships generally need at least five competitions, three tracks, appropriate sanctioning and FIA-homologated circuits. The listed Middle East and Oceania trophies are exempt from the five-competition minimum; IndyCar’s circuit-homologation condition applies to its road-course rounds.
If fewer than 16 drivers start a competition’s first race, awards fall by 10% per missing driver: 15 starters means 90% of the base points, and 14 means 80%. The lowest first-race starter count across the championship controls the reduction. Shared-car categories also have driver-categorisation adjustments. Eligibility rules and table footnotes, pages 62–66.
What else must a driver satisfy?
For a first full Super Licence, the rules also require a current FIA International Grade A licence, successful completion of a rules question session, and completion of at least 80% of each of two full seasons of listed single-seater championships.
The normal minimum age is 18 at the start of the driver’s first F1 event. The FIA may grant a licence at 17 at its sole discretion where a driver has recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater competition. Article 13.1.
There is also a discretionary route for drivers with at least 30 points who could not qualify because of circumstances outside their control or force majeure. It is not a general lowering of the threshold. Returning licence holders have separate qualification routes, so established drivers do not necessarily need to earn another 40 junior-series points. These alternative routes require certified 300 km in a representative F1 car, consistently at racing speeds, over no more than two days and within 180 days before applying. Article 13.1.5(b)–(d).
Finally, a Free Practice Only Super Licence is different from a full racing licence. A first applicant can meet its experience/points condition through six completed FIA F2 events or at least 25 points, alongside the other requirements. These include certified 300 km in a representative F1 car at racing speeds, over no more than two days and within 180 days before applying. It permits free-practice participation, not an automatic Grand Prix debut. Article 13.2.